by Gail Koger
Zarek unleashed another bombardment of torpedoes on the battle cruiser, and it disintegrated into a cloud of vaporized metal.
Hothar and I exchanged high fives.
“They have never lost a battle,” he exclaimed proudly.
My radar went on alert. Aw c’mon, enough is enough.
With a low growl, Hothar whipped out his pistol.
A very bloody Sargon and three of his beat-all-to-hell warriors suddenly appeared. Their stunned gazes traveled around the trashed bar.
How in the hell had they gotten away from Voss and Uncle Saul?
The minute Sargon saw us, he let out a battle cry and charged.
Hothar stepped in front of me, bravely shielding me with his body.
The warriors disappeared, and within a blink of an eye, they were on Hothar, wrestling the pistol away from him.
Hothar retaliated. His battle techniques reminded me of Voss’s.
I grabbed an empty bottle and hurled it at Porky the Pug, who, for some odd reason, seemed unable to teleport.
Sargon dodged to the right, tripped on a severed leg, and bam! Down he went, sliding across the blood-slick floor like a hockey puck.
“Ha! Can too fight.”
One of the warriors whirled around and grabbed my arm like he thought I was going to make a run for it. If we had a ship, would we still be here? “Let go of me.”
The warrior bared his itty-bitty fangs and announced importantly, “Malik has offered a five-million credit bounty to whoever captures you.”
What? Was he expecting me to do a happy dance? I smiled at the dentally challenged warrior. “You know, you should ask yourself. Does he really have that kind of money?”
The warrior looked a bit taken aback. “Sargon says he is very rich.”
“Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but let’s just say Malik has had a few financial setbacks recently, and the only reward you’ll collect is a trip to the undertaker.”
The jerk tightened his grip painfully. “You are trying to trick me.”
Like that would be hard? “Buddy, you’re getting on my last nerve. Let go of my arm. Now.”
The idiot actually laughed.
“Ever heard of a KTFO’D?”
The mangy warrior jerked me off the bar. “No.”
“Let me give you a demonstration.” Drawing heavily on my powers, I hauled off and gave him a one-two punch.
His eyes rolled back in his head, and he toppled over like a poleaxed steer.
“That, asshole, is what we call ‘knocked the fuck out.’ Game over.” Picking up a bottle of Datol, I took a long drink and watched Hothar slug it out with the other two warriors. Damn. He had definitely picked up some slick moves from his merge with Zarek. By the fierce grin on his face, he was enjoying beating the crap out of the thugs.
“When I’m done with you, you will be begging for mercy!” Sargon shouted, cracking his whip wildly.
The man really needed to spend some quality time with Voss or the Overlord.
To my utter amazement, instead of hitting me, the whip wrapped around a metal beam and yanked Sargon off his feet.
I took another drink. What a maroon.
His face a mask of frustrated rage, Sargon slid around on the gore-covered floor like a drunken skater. Every other step he’d lose his footing, and down he would go. Within a couple of minutes, he was so coated in the thickly clotting blood only the whites of his eyes were visible.
Giggling, I yelled at him, “Why don’t you just make it easy on yourself and surrender?”
“A Coletti warrior never surrenders,” Sargon bellowed and yanked a big-ass knife from his boot. He pulled his arm back to throw it, and down he went again, stabbing himself in the head.
Yikes, that had to hurt.
Screaming incoherently, Sargon somehow managed to teleport onto the bar. He stood there for a moment, breathing hard and trying to wipe the goop out of his eyes.
Aw, the poor guy really needed some help. I grabbed the high-pressure nozzle and drilled him in the face with Kipto Piss. That should clean some of the shit off.
Howling in fury, Sargon lost his footing and hit the floor with a loud splat!
Every time he managed to get to his feet, I’d knock him down again.
“I will kill you! I will kill you! I will kill you!”
“How does it feel to get your ass handed to you by a woman?”
Floundering like a beached whale, Sargon tried to swim his way across the floor.
Laughing hysterically, I ignored the astonishing amount of power crashing through the bar and kept hosing down Sargon. God, this was way too much fun.
“Zoey!” Voss bellowed.
Jumping about a foot, I spun around and blasted snookums right in the face. Horrified, I stood frozen as the black liquid poured down his face and cascaded off his battle suit.
Voss stepped out of the barrage of Kipto Piss, leaned over the bar, and turned it off. “Have you lost your mind?”
“You startled me, sugar.”
The Battle Commander surveyed me from head to toe. “You’re drunk.”
“Well, yeah, a little bit.”
Wild with rage, Sargon charged us, babbling, “Must kill the she-demon. Must kill the she-demon.”
Voss decked him with a hard right.
“Gee, did you hafta do that? I could have taken him.”
Voss sat me on the bar and pulled out his knife. “Tomorrow we work on your battle skills.”
“I can fight.”
He pointed at Sargon. “You call that fighting?”
“No, that was me having fun.”
Raising an incredulous eyebrow, Voss cut the palm of his hand and held it to my mouth. “Drink.”
One look at the concern in his eyes, and I obeyed. I must look worse than I thought. Healing warmth surged through my aching body, and I leaned into him, savoring the feel of his hard, muscular body.
Hothar’s excited voice penetrated my lust-filled daze. “Did you see, Zoey? I took them both out.”
I stopped lapping at Voss’s yummy blood. “You kicked ass.”
His chest puffed out. “I did.”
“More,” Voss commanded.
Rolling my eyes, I started drinking again, and my gaze fell on the enormous Coletti warrior standing behind Hothar. Man, he gave Voss a run for his money in the looks department. His chiseled features and deadly amber eyes kind of reminded me of Uncle Saul.
He looked like someone you sure as hell didn’t piss off and live to tell about it. His black battle suit emphasized his massive frame, and on each arm he wore large gold warrior’s bracelets with elaborate designs. An etched gold headband held back his gray warrior’s braids.
I choked down one last mouthful of blood and stared at his aura. Holy hell, that handsome hunk was the Overlord? I thought he’d be a whole lot uglier and covered in battle scars.
Zarek grinned, exposing his very lethal fangs. “I do have my share of scars.”
Oh dear God, why did I keep forgetting they could read my mind?
“An excellent question,” Voss muttered in my ear.
“Um… Sorry, sir, there aren’t that many pictures of you, and in the few I’ve seen, you’re all covered in blood.”
“Anyone foolish enough to capture my image is hunted down and killed.”
“Oh. Wow. That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?”
“Not with a fifty-million credit bounty on my head,” the Overlord commented drily.
“Gee, mine’s only five million.”
Voss growled. “Malik put a bounty on you?”
“Yep, and Sargon and his greedy goons thought I was the golden goose that will make all their dreams come true.”
“They have learned otherwise,” Zarek stated.
“Without a doubt.” I kissed Voss’s chin. “You know, if you didn’t smell so bad, I’d lick you all over.”
Voss rubbed his face and asked in a strangled voice, “How many Datols did you drink?”
&nb
sp; “Gosh, I don’t know. It could be five or maybe six. I was really thirsty.”
“Take your mate back to the ship and tend to her needs,” the Overlord instructed with a laugh. “Hothar and I have much to discuss.”
Hothar’s eyes bugged out, and he shot me a pleading look.
“Sorry, buddy, but he’s right.”
Voss scooped me up in his arms and added, “The Overlord needs to insure you use your new talents properly, Hothar.”
Hothar perked up considerably. “I get to keep them?”
Zarek smiled. “Yes, but there are limitations.”
Lothel and Wulf suddenly appeared in the bar. They surveyed the gore.
I waved happily at them. “You guys missed a really fun party.”
Wulf threw a cautious glance at Voss. “Party?”
“Yep, we had the Tai-Kok over for dinner.”
“She released a Gorum,” Voss explained.
“I sure did, and he gobbled them down. I just wish Bebo hadn’t stung us,” I added, rubbing my right shoulder.
The Battle Commander suddenly dumped me on the bar. Yanking my shirt and armor up, he ran a finger over the spot that was burning like crazy.
Crossing my arms over my now exposed boobs, I hissed at Voss, “Hey, I’m not wearing a bra here.”
His amber gaze slid over my breasts. “My warriors know better than to look.”
Sure enough, Lothel and Wulf had their gazes averted.
I glanced at over at Hothar and gaped as Zarek practically ripped off the top of his battle suit.
His head cocked at an odd angle, Hothar tried to get a good look at the purple prism curling over his shoulder.
The Overlord examined the marks with great interest.
“Please tell me my back doesn’t look like that.”
“You carry the mark of the king,” Voss answered, stroking my shoulder.
“I’m stuck with a funky tattoo?”
“Yes.”
“Bebo said it would protect us.”
“It’s extremely rare for the Gorum to extend protection to another life-form.”
“Huh, imagine that. So, it’s like a big deal?”
“A very big deal,” Voss said. His gaze met the Overlord’s in an almost gleeful expression.
“I just thought it was his way of saying thank you,” I said, yawning. I dropped my head against Voss’s chest and closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe how tired I was.
As I drifted off, I heard Zarek command, “Speed up her conversion. She’s worse than Kaylee for getting in trouble.”
Chapter Eleven
My exhausted brain registered the fact that someone was removing my clothing. Moaning a protest, I pried my eyes open and realized it was Voss. “Wanna sleep.”
He cradled me against his massive chest and carried me into the shower. “You are not coming to my bed until you are clean.”
“I can sleep on the floor,” I mumbled.
“No, you will not. You sleep with me.” He set me on my feet.
“I have a headache,” I announced with a scowl. I was so not in the mood for nooky.
“After all that Datol, I’m not surprised.”
“Listen, you horny ass, I’m not in the mood for—” Jets of hot water suddenly blasted me, and I gasped. “Now that’s just mean.”
“It is my duty to tend to your needs,” he answered, efficiently unbraiding my sticky, egg-coated hair.
“I need to sleep,” I grumbled.
“Soon, little one. First I must take care of your wounds.”
“I thought your blood fixed me up?”
“You’re not fully Coletti yet.”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, I leaned against him and enjoyed the feel of the water pounding down on my aching body.
Voss’s big hand tilted my head up, and his tongue lapped the cut on my forehead.
“Is that sanitary?”
“My saliva has healing properties.”
I searched his memories. It sure as hell did. “You and vampires have a lot in common.”
He gently cleaned the eggs, shells, blood, and sand out of my hair. “Vampires do not exist.”
“Have you looked in the mirror recently?” I couldn’t believe I was letting him bathe me. The sad part was I really enjoyed being taken care of.
“Sunlight doesn’t affect us, and we can’t turn into bats,” Voss stated, carefully cleaning the grime off my face.
“Once you’ve converted me, do I get a swell set of fangs like yours?”
“It’s possible.”
“Oh joy! My dream has been fulfilled. A bossy prick for a mate and big nasty fangs to look forward to. Be still my heart.”
Voss smiled down at me. One of those truly scary smiles.
My survival instinct kicked in, and I babbled, “Okay, I’m being a cranky bitch, but I’m sleep deprived. I’ve been smacked around by a bunch of losers, and I haven’t gotten the chocolate you promised me.”
His voice a low rumble, Voss responded, “The chocolate is in our chambers, and the hunters have been punished for striking you.”
I snapped, “Well, I hoped they screamed like little girls.”
Amusement filled Voss’s eyes. “Screaming was involved.”
“Did you get any useful information out of them?”
“They were to meet with Malik on the space station.”
“Bet they were a bit surprised.”
“Very.” Voss carefully washed my breasts, spending an inordinate amount of time on my nipples.
Tiny jolts of fire shot straight to my womb. “Um… My breasts aren’t dirty.”
“No? How about here?” His possessive hand slid down my stomach, caressing my clit until every nerve in my body danced the tango.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He wanted to play dirty. Bring it on. I stroked the slit in his abdomen.
Voss shuddered.
An image popped into my head. Gotcha, buster. I ran my nails across it.
He sucked in a deep breath.
Yep. This was going to be fun. I nipped and licked my way down his stomach.
His hips bucked.
“You like that? Or this?” I thrust my tongue into the slit and dragged it out. In and out.
The tight bud of tentacles rubbed against me like a cat.
Drawing it into my mouth, I suckled the tip of his penis, and it began to vibrate, faster and faster. One tiny nibble and Shazam! We had liftoff.
“By the Goddess!” Voss roared, his big body shaking in release.
Well what do you know? Oral sex was universal, and with Colettis there was no semen to swallow.
His calloused hands clamped around my waist, and he lifted me. “Who taught you that?”
“Remember our mind meld? All those women you boinked? The pleasure house charged you extra for that. Me? I take chocolate.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So did I get it right?”
Voss crushed my lips with urgent, greedy kisses.
I guess that was a yes. Our tongues met in a heated duel.
“It’s my turn,” Voss announced in my head.
Suddenly dozens of phantom hands slid sinuously over my body, trailing fire with every touch. I squirmed as they tweaked my nipples.
Without warning, Voss sank his fangs into the tender flesh of my breast and fed from me.
The brief second of pain gave way to a firestorm of sheer ecstasy. Every draw increased my clawing need for his possession.
Voss clamped his big hands around my buttocks and positioned me.
Tentacles tickled my pussy. I inhaled sharply as his penis shot home and pulsated wildly. My eyes rolled back in my head.
“My snake penis thingy likes your hot, tight pussy,” Voss growled, seesawing against my clit until the mother of all orgasms claimed me.
A scream of utter bliss tore from my throat. Oh God, he was gonna kill me with sex.
“Mine,” Voss shouted.
I felt something hot spill into my womb, and I knew the
bastard was converting my DNA. Spasm after spasm shaking me, I slumped wearily against the big guy. “Since you did your due diligence, can I sleep now?”
“Explain,” Voss commanded, his anger evident.
“Why? It won’t change anything. My feelings don’t matter to you. I’m just someone convenient to fuck.” I furiously brushed away a tear. My life as I knew it was gone forever, and tears wouldn’t change that fact.
Every inch the Battle Commander, he tilted my head up. “You are my mate. Not a whore at the pleasure houses.”
“Aren’t I? Zarek tells you to speed up my conversion, and you obediently fuck me. You’ve taken over my life, and I’m not even allowed to keep my memories. Those memories make me who I am. Why can’t you understand that?”
Voss dropped me on my feet and crowded me against the wall. “Your memories of Paul’s death have been muted, not taken from you. You were allowing them to govern your actions. Do you think he would want you risking your life to avenge him?”
“God no, he’d be pissed.” I quickly slipped around him. I wasn’t putting up with his bullying.
“As I am when you deliberately place yourself in danger. Once you are fully Coletti, you will be better able to protect yourself. You will also live longer, heal faster, and you’ll be able to teleport.”
That perked me up. “Teleport?”
“Yes, all of the Jones clan are very adept at teleporting.”
While that sounded like fun, I needed to know where I stood with Voss. Taking a deep breath, I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I agreed to this mating in the foolish belief we’d hunt my mother’s killer together. It wasn’t my father. Malik killed her, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“I want… No, I need to be involved in the hunt, and I want to watch that bastard die.” I touched Voss’s hand. “Do you understand how important this is to me?”
His mouth tightened. “We will hunt him together, but the first time you fail to obey me, I’ll ship you back to the breeder’s compound on Tanith.”
“On the hunt, you’re the boss.”
Voss cocked an inquiring eyebrow. “When we’re not?”
“We negotiate terms?”
Crossing his thickly muscled arms, Voss stared down at me and stated, “You will not attack my warriors.”
“As long as they treat me with respect and don’t grab my braid. Deal.”