Stolen by the Warlord: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Ash Planet Warriors Book 1)

by V. K. Ludwig

  Now I flinched, and that heaviness returned to my chest twofold. “There has to be more to the story.”

  “It’s a different story altogether. One not included in our deal unless you have another secret to offer.”

  None I was willing to share. “You said you would tell me why they refuse your claim.”

  “I’m a bastard, Ceangal. Let’s just say the warlords weren’t exactly in my favor from the start, but when I arrived at our mother tree with my brother’s blood on my claw, they cared neither for explanations nor stories.”

  Explanations.

  That word alone told me there was so much more to all this. As there was so much more to this male, and that realization reached me in places I couldn’t expose to him. In a way, Toagi and I were very much alike. He carried his burdens because he’d been nobody. I carried them because I was somebody.

  And his claim? Not baseless at all.

  “Tell me about your brother so I can understand all this better, and I will speak to Katedo about a solution that makes all parties happy.”

  He shook his head. “He could never make you happy.”

  “The warlord and I came to an agreement I was happy with.”

  “Happy or comfortable? Katedo has my greatest respect as a warrior and warlord, but he is a broken male, Ceangal. I bet Canja, and she has been my mount before I could saddle her alone, that Katedo refused you zovazay. Why would you marry a male unwilling to give you his love, his soul, a family, children?”

  His question took me aback. “And you’re going to give me all those things?”

  “My father was not exactly an example of how to be a good mate. Perhaps it’s a trait I’ve inherited because I understand now that I’ve been no mate to you at all.” A pinched expression came over his features, his voice raspy when he spoke again. “I will do better, Ceangal. You’ll teach me. I’ll learn.”

  His words shouldn’t make my stomach tingle like that, fooling me with the idea that he cared beyond his goal. That I could ever follow my own heart. Escape all this political bullshit and just be me, be normal, with hopes and dreams.

  “What was it you called me the night you came? Your pawn?”

  His lips pressed into a whitish line. “You said pawn. I believe the word I used was ticket.”

  Why did he suck on his lips, brows furrowing as if he regretted his words? And why did I stare at him, mute, as if I waited for him to say just that? Even if he sensed our bond and grew affection for me, where would all this lead us? All this was a shipwreck waiting to happen.

  His eyes slipped to my lips, but the way I sensed every part of him brushing his hand over my cheek made something vibrate inside me. Not a single nanite lifted as if he’d literally slipped under my skin, disabled them all, and left me exposed to his gentle caress.

  To him.

  It scared me. It calmed me. It aroused me.

  His thumb stroked over my bottom lip. “Kiss me, and I will tell you about my brother.”

  Not only did that vibration beneath my ribs intensify, but it spiraled its way through my belly before it tingled along my clit. By the Three Suns, did I want to kiss him? Was that why those damned nanites didn’t close? Because I wanted his touch? Wanted… him?

  That was a war on the doorsteps right there.

  As much as I understood his ambition and agreed that his claim had substance, I couldn’t give him what he wanted. Old pain broke through my memory, aching with renewed vigor as I thought back on how I came to be. I hadn’t been born out of love but as the result of political negotiations.

  For that very reason, I shook my head. “I can’t, Toagi. Tell me how to help you. Return me to Katedo so I can convince the other warlords to reconsider your claim.”

  “I don’t want to return you.” His hand enclosed mine, flattening them against where his heart beat strong and fast, and he pulled me deeper against his chest using his tail. “Let me hold you. Nothing more. I thought you’d infiltrated my tribe, and now I feel terrible for the way I put you on the spot.”

  There was no fighting how he wrapped me in his arms, not because I didn’t want to, but because my muscles refused. “There is no bond, Toagi.”

  He stroked his fingers through my hair, torturing me with long seconds of silence until he rasped, “I make you this promise, Ceangal, your soul will be in good hands with me. I’ll prove it.”

  It sounded too good to be true.

  Because it was impossible.

  “There is no bond.”

  “Only heartburn,” he whispered, and something inside me wanted to curl up and hide. “Solgad is a dangerous planet. The next sun, I will discuss a training plan with Nafir, and you will start sparring with my warriors.”

  Twelve

  Toagi

  I pulled one of my knives from my chest holster, angled the blade against my biceps, and sliced across my skin. Not deep enough for blood to flow, but the burn came anyway. And I embraced it, all while staring at where Ceangal sparred with Yelim.

  Nafir looked at me as if I’d lost my mind, and perhaps I had. “If you lust for blood, go hunting.”

  I jutted my chin toward Ceangal. “Look.”

  She lifted her hand and rubbed the same spot on her body I’d just cut on mine, eying the flicker of nanites warily before she shrugged it off as her lack of control.

  Bright warmth engulfed me from the inside out, and my heart quickened. Who would have thought self-mutilation would bring such contentment?

  Nafir grabbed the waterskin sitting in a shrub and washed his hands, calloused from how we’d erected a woven storm barrier earlier. “If I did this with my mate, she would ram her horns into my guts.”

  “It does not pain her.” At least not yet, but she reacted more strongly each sun.

  “But she finally feels the bond.”

  “She lovingly identified it as indigestion.” And might have been aware of it for longer than I’d realized. “The bond somehow deepened when I told her about my father.”

  “She continues to roam with her uiri. Has she found the broken com cube you planted?”

  “Today, when the sun rose, and she thought me still asleep.” As much as I hated blindsiding Ceangal, pursuing her plan of escape kept her growing nervousness at bay, which had started after she’d sensed my inner turmoil over my brother’s death. “Next, she will try to find the access code, which should keep her busy for another few suns until Yelim guides them along.”

  “It is dangerous if she wanders off too far from the tree.”

  “It’s the very reason I want her to learn our fighting techniques, and I ordered Yelim to inform me whenever she wanders too far so I can shadow her.”

  Nafir pointed at my wound. “Why won’t you show her?”

  “She’s not ready yet.”

  You stole my chance to bring peace and gain some for myself.

  No wonder she guarded her soul the way she did. All those expectations placed upon her at birth, how she denied herself happiness for the sake of peace… Ceangal owned so little of her own life; accepting that half her soul was missing was no easy task.

  Nafir sighed and brushed his black hair back between his horns, tousled from the storms edging nearer each sun. “One of the scouts just reported a warband less than half a sun’s ride toward east, currently camping out a wave of solar flares.”

  “Katedo’s?”

  “Their yuleshis carry the white hand of Razgar,” he said. “A small warband, but certainly not the only one. All archers.”

  My stomach hollowed so fast all blood drained from my face, leaving me chilled even against the heat of the sun. Before me, Ceangal stopped in the middle of her attack, her posture stiffening, and glanced back at me over her shoulder. I couldn’t help but reward the way her bond had picked up on my unease with a smile, no matter how fear held me tight.

  I encouraged her with a nod to keep practicing, and kept my voice low. “She said she’d help if I told her how to convince the other warlords. I believ
e she truly would.”

  And fail.

  Ceangal was the daughter of a diplomat and didn’t quite understand that, among warlords, what counted weren’t words but honor, pride, and strength.

  “Katedo would have forgiven you many things, but stealing a female from him? He likely took it very personally.” There was a brief pause before he added, “And if you told her that failing to seed her will likely be your death sentence? Would that not convince her? Even with a proven bond, the warlords will not simply accept your claim without the leverage of a child. Without their support, her father himself might have you executed. The warden is a politician, out only for the good of the Empire.”

  “As much as I’ve considered telling her, I can’t bring myself to corner and manipulate her in such way, abusing whatever closeness we’ve grown ever since we cleared the air.” Not anymore. Not with what I’d learned about her struggles. “Her bond is developing slowly. Might never reach the strength of mine, really. Considering the report you gave me, it might be for the best. She will suffer less if they catch me, and might fully recover after my death.”

  “I hope she will accept the bond before her heat peaks, so you can seed her like you planned.”

  “Mmh.”

  The very thought had started to pinch me somewhere. Ever since I’d stolen Ceangal, I’d focused on my goal of seeding her with my child, first considering our zovazay a political strategy, and then an unexpected inconvenience. I’d wholly ignored this flicker of light that reached into an emptiness I’d carried with me all my life. What if she could fill that void in my soul?

  I sighed and turned my attention back to Nafir. “Swear you will stand down if they find us.”

  “Urizayo—”

  “Our warriors are too few, and many are still weak from the bout of ice fever we faced a few moons ago. We cannot defeat them, and I will not lead my tribe into slaughter.”

  Nafir swallowed hard but nodded. “Yes, yes, we will stand down. The com cube is ready, and the technicians prepared the signal boosters.”

  “If the time comes, you will carry out my final order, and I will do what honor demands. I want her far away from my pain when they capture me, now that she senses it.”

  Nafir lowered his head. “On my life and honor, I will do as we discussed. Still, I hope that it will not come to it.”

  As did I.

  No matter how much the idea of failing my goal hurt, the thought of losing Ceangal hurt more. She was neither pawn nor inconvenience. Not anymore. She was kunazay — my soulmate.

  “Enough for now!” At my gesture, Yelim dipped his head and strolled off, leaving behind my sweat-drenched mate. “Your stance is solid to a fault. Jal’zar, yuleshi, ushti… whatever roams this planet is fast and agile. Keep your legs flexible and charged.”

  She rubbed stray wisps from her forehead, the end of her ponytail swaying in the wind. Ash smudged her jawline, and red blotches dotted her neck, her white tank top filthy. Vibrant green eyes, small breasts, full lips… my mate was beautiful, but it was the fact that she could handle herself that made her stunning.

  She grabbed the waterskin I handed her and took a healthy swallow, stirring irrational jealousy at my core with every drop caressing lips I wanted to taste. “I need a solid stance if I want my gun to hit the target.”

  I signaled Nafir to bring Canja to me before I grabbed my harness, which dangled from a low branch. “Noticed how long my gun took to charge when you tried to kill me?”

  A taunting grin hushed across her lips. “I didn’t try to kill you. Just… slow you down.”

  “Solar flares leave clouds of static behind which roam the surface before they eventually dissolve. If you stand in one of them, guns will charge slower, while other equipment fails entirely.”

  She folded her arms in front of her chest, letting the setting sun cast a soft sheen over her freckled skin. “That’s why you have me fight close combat and knives?”

  “Yeki.” I took Canja’s reins from Nafir and led her over, then pointed at my mount’s ear. “Whenever we come across a young yuleshi, we train them for riding, mark their ears, and release them back into the wild. If you ever need fast transportation, find one with this type of nick. They are carrion-eaters and neither hunt nor attack unless they have offspring. Up with you.”

  Ceangal competently swung herself onto Canja’s back. “We going somewhere?”

  “Armor practice.” I mounted behind her, and handed her the reins. “The more you lean forward, the faster she’ll go, kunazay. There’s no yuleshi among the tribe faster than Canja. Take the reins in one hand, shifting them left or right of her mane to steer.”

  The most adorable flush came to her earlobes. “I like learning all these things.”

  “You have to learn them to stay safe.” I pointed toward a set of rock spires, the red moon already rising between them. “Ride until we reach the cliff. Canja is mild-tempered and loyal. She’ll listen.”

  She managed Canja into a slow trot. “The wind barrier was a great idea, especially how the shape leads gusts around the gathering area, taking the strain off the material. Along with the ponds, the drain fields, the portable solar panels… I can’t help but wonder where you get these ideas from.”

  I stroked over the nape of her neck, her skin soft, not a single nanite threatening to lift. “Mekara comes to me in my dreams, providing me with blueprints.”

  She glanced back, eyes first going to where my finger twirled around her shoulder before they locked with mine, one brow lifted. “Bullshit.”

  “I told you once before, don’t let my loincloth fool you. I studied engineering in Noja.”

  “Why don’t tribes stay permanently in Noja?”

  “First, the city doesn’t offer enough room for all of us. Second…” I waved my hand over the plains spreading endlessly before us. “Why would we even want to? As much as we need Noja, I have yet to meet a Jal’zar who doesn’t itch to return to the plains.”

  “I love the plains. It’s quiet out here.”

  With no media, few expectations, and no finger-pointing. “Bring Canja to a stop by that dead tree over there.”

  “Burned, by the looks of it.” She reined to a stop beside the charred trunk, and waited for me to dismount before she did the same. “Which can only mean we’re dangerously close to solar flares.”

  “Once they come too close, we will move trees, but that time has not come yet.”

  She placed her hands onto her hips, and turned to take in the landscape. Ash thickened the air out here, and traces of burnt wood drifted on the breeze from farther out, gusting around wind-worn rock.

  I took her hand into mine and led her up a ravine, rocks shifting underneath our steps. “I found these on patrol last night and wanted you to see them.”

  “See what?”

  At the edge of the cliff, I pointed at the blue crackles that formed a whirlwind in the plains before us, its vortex displacing the grit and ash. “Shimid call them unutej, restless spirits of warriors who died a dishonorable death. They are dangerous up close, but, in the big picture, they’re harmless and will dissolve on their own.”

  “Electrical discharge,” she said with a nod. “From the solar flares?”

  “They cause a magnetic disbalance.” From the ground, I grabbed a handful of smaller rocks and handed them to her. “Toss them into the funnel.”

  Ceangal took the rocks, and, with each one she threw, the unetej jerked and flickered at the disturbance, swelling, growing, sucking in the restless air. “Doesn’t feel like armor practice.”

  “But it is.” I positioned myself behind her, leaving only a sliver of air to keep us from touching, save for how I let my arm cross her chest to take her wrist. “Unetej only turns into a problem if you give it your attention, Ceangal.”

  “As much as I appreciate you trying to help me, rest assured I’ve seen enough shrinks, life coaches, and yoga mats to know that I will never fully control my nanites.”

  With m
y fingers wrapped around her wrist, I brought her hand up before her. “You have to, if you want to survive Solgad.”

  “Right, because I’m useless to you dead.”

  My stomach clenched. Of course, she thought that this was only about my goal. I’d never given her reason to believe otherwise or confessed just how strongly I felt drawn to her. In a way, I still struggled to admit to myself how much I yearned for her closeness, her touch, her affection.

  “If Mekara took you from me, Ceangal, I would be useless.” I weaved my fingers through her hair. “You called my plan flawed, and you were right. I thought I got myself a ticket, only to realize I’ve bonded a beautiful, smart, and kind mate. One I grow fonder of each sun.”

  She said nothing, but I sensed the tingle in her stomach.

  “I want you to close your armor around your digits, from left to right, one at a time.” And as I spoke those words, I lifted my hand beside me, tailclaw hovering above my fingertips.

  She sighed. “This won’t work.”

  “Nobody is looking.”

  “You are looking.” Her voice thinned, and the bond underneath my sternum strung tight. “And you’ve seen it completely out of control twice already, which makes it even worse.”

  “Focus on the first finger.”

  “I cannot control—”

  “Focus,” I said, bringing the pointy end of my tailclaw to the tip of my finger that mirrored hers. “On one, you close your armor around it. Three, two, one.”

  I punctured my finger.

  Hers jerked.

  Black scales formed a ring around her knuckle, and she gasped when it spread, followed by a high-pitched shriek. “Look!”

  That joy of hers barraged through the bond with such force, my stomach clenched as if to brace against it. “That one was just lucky. Come on, focus. Next one. Three. Two. One.”

  Another sting.

  More nanites.

  More shrieking.

  Also more joy, which manifested itself as Ceangal bouncing up and down while we went through all five fingers. “Let’s do it on the other side as well!”