by Rayna Tyler
The spot where we’d been attacked by the creatures loomed in front of us. Garyck slowed the transport even more. The vehicle rebelled against the motion, the floor vibrating from the engine’s whine.
“Garyck, what the…” Sloane might have been strapped in, but it didn’t stop her from lurching forward and slapping her hands on the control panel in front of her.
I was glad I wasn’t the only one who wanted to know what he was thinking. I changed my mind when I noticed Doyle’s vessel’s zoom past us, unprepared for the sudden maneuver. Garyck immediately banked hard to the right in order to avoid driving anywhere near a nest.
As soon as the other two transports slowed to turn and follow us, a pit opened up in the ground and a snakkril sprang from the sand, wrapping its body around the front end of the transport that had rammed us. For once, luck was on our side, and so was my shock. “I can’t believe it’s working.”
Even inside our vessel, I could hear the creature’s unnerving shriek as it banged its head against the pane, trying to get to the males inside. It reminded me of my own near-death encounter and sent quivers skittering along my spine.
Cara had moved closer to me so she could get a better look at what was happening outside. “Wow, they can move fast.” She shot Celeste a quick glance. “You weren’t kidding when you said snaky lizards.” She exaggerated a shudder. “Nasty-looking things.”
A close-up image of long, deadly fangs popped into my head. “You have no idea.”
Another hole opened up, exposing a creature larger than the first one, which I assumed was its mate. It slither-crawled toward Doyle’s vehicle. From here, it looked as if Doyle was shouting commands and trying to get the door closed at the same time.
I silently cheered when the creature managed to get the upper portion of its body through the narrow opening. The males inside wouldn’t be able to use their laser weapons, not without risking damage to the transport and its operating system. I hoped it did some major damage before someone got a chance to kill it.
Garyck had straightened out our vehicle, increased the speed, and was moving in a new direction. Jardun still had his arm around my waist. I lifted my head and asked, “Now what?”
He gave me a hesitant yet reassuring, smile. “Now we hope the snakkrils keep the other males busy long enough for us to leave the Quaddrien.”
Jardun
It was nearing nightfall by the time we reached Aztrashar. The strain the transport’s engine had sustained was apparent in the uneven whirring and sputtering noises it made when Garyck forced it to stop in front of the drezdarr’s dwelling. Even now, the gauges on the control panel indicated the vehicle’s energy levels were close to depletion. Several times in the last few hours, Garyck had been forced to reduce our speed.
After barely escaping Doyle’s transports, the time it had taken us to reach the outer border of the Quaddrien, then make the final trek into the city had not been ideal. At least we had not been stranded or forced to finish the journey on foot.
The relief at seeing our home was currently being overridden by my anxiety to find Khyron and make sure he was still alive. The transport had barely stopped before Vurell had the door open and was rushing inside the building, the bag containing the antidote clasped closely to his side. A few minutes later, Vurell’s assistant, Kren, showed up to help Garyck take Burke to the physician’s medical chambers to have the injury on his leg treated.
Once everyone else had exited the vehicle, I pulled Laria aside. I wanted nothing more than to drag her to my private quarters, place her on my bed, and show her how much she meant to me, then convince her she belonged in my life.
But now was not the time. Duty and the promise I had made to my friend came first. “Go with Zaedon and the others. Once I have seen to the drezdarr, I will find you, and we will talk.” I cupped her cheek, hoping the gentle caress was enough to impart my overwhelming feelings for her and keep her from leaving.
She placed her hand over mine. “Go, take care of your friend. I’ll wait.”
I glanced at Zaedon, giving him an unspoken request to look after Laria and her friends. After receiving his nod of acknowledgment, I turned and hastened inside.
I did not wait for Khyron to grant me permission to enter after I knocked on the door to his sleeping chamber. He sat in the center of his bed, his upper body propped with pillows. His condition had worsened. The scales covering his chest and the pallor of his skin were now a dull gray.
Khyron winced. “I see your manners have not improved since we last spoke, but I am glad to see you.”
It seemed as if the simplest movement, even smiling, caused my friend a great deal of pain.
I glanced around the room, wondering why the physician was not present and administering the antidote to Khyron. “Where is Vurell?” I did not hold back the anger in my growl. As much as I wanted my friend’s health returned, that wish was surpassed by my need to return to Laria.
“Calm yourself. I am here.” Vurell entered the room behind me. He was carrying a tray that contained a glass filled with a light green liquid, along with one of the vials he’d retrieved from the lab in the human spacecraft. He placed the tray on the corner of Khyron’s desk.
I ignored Vurell’s sarcasm and returned my attention to Khyron. “I assume once you have recovered, you will want an update on our travels.” I moved closer to his bed, intent on staying by his side as long as he needed me. “There are things of importance we need to discuss.” The events surrounding the males at the outpost was at the top of the list.
“Such as?” Khyron coughed.
“They will have to wait,” Vurell interjected, then poured the contents of the vial into the liquid.
Khyron bowed his head at Vurell, then spoke to me. “As will introductions to our human guests. Please give them my apologies.” His cough was much worse this time, and he pressed a hand to his chest. “There are complications with my recovery.”
I glared at Vurell. “Is something wrong…with the antidote?” The thought of losing Khyron after everything my friends and I had done to save him caused the muscles in my chest to tighten.
“No,” Vurell said. “Khyron’s condition has progressed to an advanced stage. I believe at this point, the curing potion I have developed will cause him extreme pain.” He held up his hand to stop my argument. “I have prepared a drug that will induce sleep while he heals.”
“How long must he slumber?” I asked.
“The effects will last several days, but after that, he should recover quickly.” Vurell’s emotionless features did not ease my trepidation.
“In the meantime, please inform Burke and the females that I insist they stay and make themselves at home.”
Insisting was Khyron’s way of stating an order, a mandate to be followed without question. It did not matter if Laria and her friends were human, they were required to adhere to ketaurran law and any orders issued by the drezdarr.
I was elated. Whether Khyron meant to or not, he had provided me with more time to convince Laria to stay.
“I want to thank them personally for the risks they took to save my life once I awaken.” Khyron furrowed his brow at me. “Why are you grinning? Does my request amuse you?”
“I believe Laria is my ketiorra, and if she is required to stay…”
“You can entice her to agree to bond with you,” Khyron finished for me.
“Yes.” I widened my grin even more.
“Human females are unique…special.”
I had seen that sad far-off look in Khyron’s eyes on two other occasions. I knew he was thinking about the human female he believed was his ketiorra. I did not know her name, but knew he had lost her when Sarus’s males attacked her settlement during the war.
“If she truly is your mate, then I am happy for you.” He paused to take a breath. “It is time for change. With all the losses our people have suffered, there is no reason why the vryndarr should spend the remainder of their lives alone, without a fem
ale to share their future with.”
“Zaedon voiced a similar viewpoint,” I said.
“Perhaps these female warriors are the answer to breaching the gap between the humans and ketaurrans.”
Vurell groaned. “Might I suggest you postpone plotting your grand plans until later? If I do not administer the antidote soon, you will not be around to interfere with everyone’s future.”
Khyron’s laugh caused another bout of coughing. “It is apparent your ordeal in the Quaddrien has not dulled the sharpness of your tongue.”
“It is one of the qualities that makes me an admirable physician,” Vurell smugly replied.
“If not a cantankerous one,” I teased, taking a few steps closer to the doorway and away from Vurell’s reach should he decide to retaliate.
“I will show you cantankerous the next time you have an injury in need of repair.” Vurell straightened his shoulders. “Now leave and let me see to the drezdarr’s needs.”
I grinned, then spoke to Khyron. “I expect to see you in a few days, so heal quickly.”
Chapter Fifteen
LARIA
I’d promised Jardun I wouldn’t leave, but waiting with nothing to do was not one of my strengths. The uncertainty that came with knowing he wanted to talk wasn’t helping the condition of my frazzled nerves. If he was going to say goodbye, I wished he would’ve done it when we’d arrived. It wouldn’t have spared me from suffering through the pain of a broken heart, but it would’ve been easier to walk away, to get on my transport and never look back.
I tried not to pace, but it had been hours since Zaedon had shown us to the same quarters we’d used the last time we were here. None of the males, including Jardun, had made an appearance. There weren’t any guards posted in the corridor, a sign we’d earned the drezdarr’s trust. The only person I’d seen after taking a bath and changing into clean clothes was a young ketaurran female who timidly left a tray of fruits and beverages before hastening from the room.
It wasn’t helping that Celeste, Sloane, and Cara hadn’t been bothered by the situation. They seemed perfectly content to relax and enjoy the accommodations.
“Do you think the drezdarr made it?” Sloane asked, making herself comfortable on one end of a lounger with her legs stretched across its length.
“After everything we did, he darn well better have survived.” Cara reached for another piece of fruit and popped it into her mouth.
She was a few inches shorter than me, and the clothes I’d loaned her were a little baggy and wrinkled from being stuffed in my bag. She hadn’t minded and was glad to be cleaned up and out of her grimy, smelly disguise.
“The drezdarr is alive.” Hearing Jardun’s deep voice had me spinning to face the doorway. He smiled, his gaze never leaving mine as he entered the room with Zaedon and Garyck following close behind him.
I spared a glance to notice they’d all taken the time to bathe and change before returning my attention to Jardun. His hair hung over his shoulders, the dark strands damp and glistening.
“He sends his regrets and asks that you remain his guests until he has completed his medical treatment,” Jardun said.
Celeste sat forward and crossed her arms. “Is that his polite way of saying we aren’t allowed to leave?”
“He wants to thank everyone personally and appreciates your compliance with his request.”
I had to give Jardun credit for his tactful response and the way he’d addressed the drezdarr’s order. An order we’d have to follow unless we wanted to end up in a holding cell. What made things even more uncomfortable was thinking about being trapped in the same building with Jardun if our discussion ended with us parting ways.
I could tell by the way Celeste narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips that an argument was about to ensue. “How’s Burke doing?” I asked, hoping the interruption would keep my friend from doing anything that could cause us all problems.
“Other than arguing with Vurell, he is doing fine,” Zaedon said as he moved to stand behind Cara’s chair. He leaned forward and sniffed.
“What?” Cara shot him an over-the-shoulder glare and waved him away. “If you tell me I still smell like chaugwas dung, you’re going to be picking yourself up off the floor.”
Jardun held his hand out to me. “As much as I would be entertained to see you best my friend, I wish to speak to my ketiorra privately.”
Shock didn’t come close to describing my reaction. I forced myself to breathe. I couldn’t decide if I was angry he’d shared the information, or elated he was claiming me as his mate.
“I knew it.” Sloane’s overly enthusiastic smirk pushed me toward irritation first.
“You can’t tell everyone I’m your ketiorra without having some kind of discussion about it with me first.”
The flash of pain in his eyes, as if I’d wounded him with one of my blades, was quickly masked. “Are you saying you refuse to acknowledge our connection?” He curled his fingers and lowered his hand, but remained where he was.
“No, I’m saying it would have been nice to talk about it before sharing the information with everyone.” I slapped my hands on my hips, then glanced around the room, noting that our friends weren’t even bothering to hide their amusement.
Jardun stepped closer, caressing my chin with his thumb, drawing my attention back to him. “We did have a discussion.” He lowered his voice, his tone soothing.
“When?” The more he rubbed my skin, the less irritated I became.
“The night we stayed in the loicryn.”
“That was not a discussion. That was…” I recalled quite clearly what we were doing the moment he’d called me his ketiorra, and everything that happened afterward.
Jardun quirked a challenging brow.
“Oh.”
“Do you wish to argue further?” Jardun asked.
“No, I’m done.”
“Good, because I wish to have the remainder of our talk in private.”
I didn’t get a chance to do anything but squeal when I found myself lifted off the ground and draped over his shoulder. I might have verbalized a complaint if I wasn’t so busy admiring his nicely muscled ass and the way his smoothly scaled tail swished back and forth as he carried me out of the room.
He was halfway down the corridor before I was hit by the reality of how my life was about to change. “Jardun, what about my friends?” I wanted a future with him, but not at the cost of giving up the people I considered family, or what we did for a living.
“They will be adhering to the drezdarr’s order.” He turned down another corridor. “Do not worry. Zaedon and Garyck will make sure they are well cared for.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
He stopped long enough to open a door and walk into a dimly lit room. From this angle, I got an upside-down glimpse of a large bed, the frame carved from stone, and the opening to a terrace beyond.
He lifted me off his shoulder, my body sliding against his until my feet touched the floor, his hands remaining on my hips. “I wish for you to be by my side always, but I would never ask you to part from your friends.”
The pounding in my chest increased, reality tightening its grip on my heart. It didn’t matter how much I wanted to be with him; the fact that we lived in different worlds was never going to change.
He tucked my hair behind one ear, then cupped my cheeks. “I do not completely understand the human belief in fate, but I do believe we are meant to be together.”
I closed my eyes briefly, savoring the warmth of his skin against mine. “But how? My life is back at the settlement, and yours is here with the other vryndarr.”
He offered me a reassuring smile. “The drezdarr believes that all of us, the vryndarr and your friends, hold the key to healing the conflict between our people.”
I placed my hand over his. “Really? What did he say?”
“He was unable to provide me with details, other than to say he would explain his plan to all of us after his treatment.
” He grabbed my ass and lifted me off the ground. “Now, my ketiorra, I plan to connect with you properly.” He nipped the side of my neck. “I am certain the process will take several days.”
I giggled and wrapped my legs around his waist. I knew exactly how he planned to connect, and if I had any doubts, the hard cock rubbing against the sensitive spot between my legs was a great indicator of his intentions. I smiled and pushed away my worries.
Whatever changes, obstacles, or dangers we encountered, I knew with all my heart that we’d be facing them together.
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Books by Rayna Tyler
Seneca Falls Shifters
Tempting the Wild Wolf
Captivated by the Cougar
Enchanted by the Bear
Enticing the Wolf
Ketaurran Warriors
Jardun’s Embrace
About the Author
Rayna Tyler loves writing about sexy alpha heroes and the sassy heroines who turn their lives upside down. All her stories have hot, always sizzling, romance with a guaranteed happily ever after.