by Gail Koger
Well, if the Overlord gave his approval, who was I to object? “Kalja likes deet worms.”
Fire ants tromped through my head. Danger, but where? I quickly scanned the area. Hmmm. I was picking up some nasty vibes from a cluster of plastisteel bunkers. Intensifying my probe, I located Bedan’s brainwaves. “I found him.”
Intent on discovering Pok’s secrets, Bebo ignored me. I poked his neck. “Hello? Can you hear me? I found Bedan.”
Not a blink. Not a twitch. Not even a gesture from one of his tentacles. Absolutely nothing to let me know he had understood or even heard me.
The sensation of danger grew stronger. Bedan was definitely in trouble. I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Bedan needs your help. Now!”
Bebo shuddered violently, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was seriously wrong with the Gorum. I gingerly touched his mind. Holy Goddess! Someone had booby-trapped Pok’s brain, and Bebo was locked in mental combat.
He needed help and now. Me? Not a good idea. I wasn’t trained in psychic combat, but the Coletti were. Wulf? Nah, I couldn’t risk him getting hurt, but Zarek was fair game. I banged on his mind. “Open up. We’ve got a big problem.”
The Overlord’s intimidating power wrapped around me. “What kind of problem?”
“Bebo was hit with a mental booby trap and is barely holding on.”
“Malik,” Zarek growled and severed our link.
“Wait! I know where Bedan is…” I was talking to dead air. Guess I was on my own.
“You are not alone,” Wulf said, gently stroking my back.
I could get used to this whole mate thing.
There was a bit of a snap in Wulf’s voice as he added, “And I don’t need protecting.”
“I’m hardwired to protect my family. So, deal with it,” I snapped back.
Brilliant golden light flooded the area, and a vortex formed. Twenty seconds later, Raj, with Wulf riding him cowboy style, leaped out. Yee-haw!
Wulf’s warrior braids stuck out from his head like Medusa’s snakes. Slime dripped off his nose and ran down his spiffy battle suit.
Did I look that bad? Who knew? I’d worry about it later. I slid off Bebo and hurried toward them. “Thank the Goddess you’re here. Bedan needs rescuing, and Bebo is fighting off a mental attack.”
Raj tossed me onto his back. “Zarek and my king have the situation under control. Where is Bedan?”
I pointed to the bunkers. “He’s inside the second one.”
Zoom. Off we went. The reinforced metal bunker door? Not a problem. Snap! Crack! Raj ripped it off its hinges and hurled it at the heavily armed mercenaries racing toward us. Whack! Bodies flew in every direction.
My radar screamed a warning. “More bad guys coming from the south.”
The Gorum dumped us on the ground, turned, and sheltered us from the incoming laser fire. His hide absorbed the energy like a sponge.
Wulf shoved a laser pistol in my hand. “Stay here.” He vanished and reappeared behind the mercenaries shooting at us.
“Want some help? You’re kinda outnumbered.”
“I’m a warlord,” Wulf huffed indignantly. He drew his sword and in a deadly dance, sliced and diced anyone too stupid to run.
Gotta say. Testosterone did have its uses. More fire ants tromped into my head. Now what?
A badly scarred mercenary limped out of a repair hangar filled with all sorts of expensive electronic goodies. He raised a Lucifer rocket launcher to his shoulder and aimed it at Bebo.
My heart knocked against my chest. Bebo was a sitting duck. If he died, he might take Zarek with him.
The mercenary’s finger reached for the firing control.
I threw a bolt of telekinetic energy at the self-destruct button. It hit with two seconds to spare.
Boom! The raging blast vaporized the mercenary.
Pieces of flaming debris crashed into the hangar. Fire quickly spread across the greasy floor.
Kablooey! A titanic explosion erupted, sending shards of metal whooshing over my head. A thick column of black smoke belched high into the sky.
Whoa! The mercenaries had more than electronics inside.
Laser beams zinged past me.
Yikes! I hit the deck. I guess they weren’t too happy with me blowing up all those stolen goodies. Where was my warlord when I needed him?
“Here. I said not to do anything stupid,” Wulf growled, returning fire. The air was suddenly ablaze with a crisscross of laser bolts.
“Hey, I was saving Bebo and Zarek from being blown to smithereens. A little gratitude would be nice.”
“I’m sure Zarek will grant you another boon.” Wulf hurled a stun grenade at the mercenaries.
An ear-shattering boom was followed by a blinding flash of light. The mercenaries toppled over.
“Ha! Take that.” I rubbed my ringing ears and blinked rapidly to clear my vision. My eyes widened in horror when more mercenaries took their place. “Where in the nine hells are they coming from?”
“Sushila,” Wulf answered.
“Who the heck is Sushila?”
“Sushila is a mercenary base about a click that way.” Wulf pointed to the south.
My stomach dropped. Could this day get any worse? Wait! I didn’t want to know. I took a deep breath and asked, “How many combatants are housed there?”
“Around five thousand.”
Was that all? “Up to the challenge?”
Wulf bared his teeth in a predatory grin. “I am Coletti.”
I cringed as red crackling death sizzled past me. Another inch, and I would have been headless. This was not fun. Wulf’s battle suit deflected the bolts striking him. Me? No armor. No battle suit. I was going to get fried any second now.
Raj slithered in front of us. “Get Bedan. I’ll handle the soldiers.”
“Help us!” Bedan’s frightened cry echoed in my head.
“Coming.” I smacked Wulf in the chest. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
“As you command, my lady.” Wulf wrapped a muscular arm around me, and poof. There was a fleeting second of blackness, and we were inside the bunker.
A Tai-Kok charged out of the darkness.
Wulf’s sword slashed out.
The Tai-Kok’s head thudded to the floor and rolled by me, an astonished expression forever frozen on its face.
“You’ve gotta teach me that.”
“Your brothers said not to give you anything sharp.” Wulf shoved me behind him as three more Tai-Kok charged down the hallway. He quickly decapitated them too.
“My brothers need to keep their mouths shut.” I focused on Bedan and followed the tingling sensation in my head. The closer I got, the stronger it became.
At the back of the bunker was a glass enclosure full of cages. A runt of a Tai-Kok plucked Bedan from a small crate and held him up. “Surrender, or I eat him.”
Yeah, like that was going to happen. I turned to Wulf. “Ready?”
“I’m always ready.”
Shaking my head in disbelief, I grabbed a cage with my mind and whacked the runt upside the head.
As the runt was falling, Wulf teleported in and snagged Bedan.
I sauntered into the enclosure. “We make a good team.”
Wulf took my mouth in a hot openmouthed kiss. “We do.”
The runt climbed to his feet.
I walloped him again.
His eyes rolled back in his head, and down he went.
Bedan cried, “Help Bui. She hurt.”
“Bui?” I examined the cages. All of them were empty, except the last one. It held a small Tabor. She reminded me of a spider on Earth called a tarantula. Her golden fur was matted with blood. An icy rage vibrated through every cell in my body when I realized the bastard had eaten one of her legs.
“Give me your sword.” I held out my hand.
Wulf eyed me warily. “Why?”
“He took her leg. I’m taking his.”
“Let me deal with the Ta
i-Kok. Bui needs you.” Wulf caressed the back of my neck like I was some kind of wild animal that needed soothing. “Deal?”
I met his gaze. Wulf was truly concerned about me. My rage drained away. He was a keeper. I really wanted to kill the Tai-Kok, but I’d let Wulf handle it. This time. “Deal.”
“Me hungry,” Bedan whined; his tentacles tugged on Wulf’s hair.
“I think we can take care of that. You feel like a little Tai-Kok?” Wulf picked up the runt and walked out of the enclosure.
I opened the cage door. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. My name is Yakira, and I won’t let anyone hurt you. Ever. Again.”
Tremors shaking her body, Bui huddled at the back of the cage. “Scared.”
“I know, sweetie. When I was your age, the Tai-Kok ate my right arm and both legs. I was fitted with bionics, and now I’m stronger and faster. See? It looks and feels like real skin.” I poked a finger in the crate.
She crept closer until the fur on her legs tickled my skin. “Work on Tabors?”
Hmmm. Good question. I had read an article where they replaced an Askole’s man parts, so I didn’t see why not. “Sure.”
“Hurts. Bad.” Bui’s agony skittered along my nerve endings.
I stroked her head. “I’m so sorry. No child should ever have to fear the Tai-Kok or watch their family and friends being eaten. I promise you, Wulf and I are going to kill every last one of them. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” She crawled onto my palm.
“You’re such a brave girl. I’m going to make your boo-boo better. Okay?”
“You can do that?” Hope filled Bui’s mental voice.
“Yes, I can.” The Goddess had blessed me with some healing abilities. Pain management was my specialty. My brothers were always breaking something or getting stabbed in bar fights. A simple broken leg or a minor cut I could repair without a problem. Something more serious, and I could stabilize the injury until medical help arrived.
“You’re going to feel a tickling sensation in your body. Not to worry. It’s just me.”
“‘Kay.”
I focused on Bui’s wound, sending healing energy into the shredded flesh. The bleeding stopped immediately; with a little extra power, the skin sealed. “Better?”
Bui snuggled under my chin. “No hurt.”
My radar went on red alert.
Out of the shadows stepped the biggest Tai-Kok I had ever seen. He opened the door and smiled, exposing his sharp metal teeth. He spat a bunch of weird, honking quacks, which translated into, “Dinner.”
Not a chance in the nine hells.
A shrill cry broke from Bui, and she shot to my head. “No eat me. No eat me.”
“Easy. The only one getting eaten is him. I’m going to feed him to the Gorum.”
Bui bounced on my head. “Me like. Me like.”
“Me like too.” I motioned at the Tai-Kok and quacked, “Come and get me.”
With a menacing honk, the Tai-Kok attacked. I reared back against the counter and kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. Whoosh! He flew backward, crashed through the bunker wall, and rolled out onto the tarmac.
Boy, did that feel good. I linked with Raj. “Can you eat that Tai-Kok for me, please?”
“A pleasure.” Raj slithered up and stuffed the Tai-Kok down his maw.
Wulf appeared with Bedan playing peek-a-boo through his warrior braids. The little guy held a severed finger in one tentacle. My warlord stared at the gaping hole in the plasticrete with openmouthed astonishment. “If I had not seen you do it, I wouldn’t have believed it. You actually kicked the Tai-Kok through the wall.”
Like it was some kind of big deal? My bionics were at full strength. “I did.”
An explosion shook the building.
“Why didn’t you shoot him?”
“Too easy. Now he knows what it feels like to be eaten alive.” Through the hole in the wall, I saw Raj get hit with a volley of laser beams. He instantaneously absorbed the energy and charged the mercenaries.
“You are a Coletti at heart,” Wulf said with a proud smile.
“That’s so sweet.” Most males bolted when they discovered my dark side. I boosted myself up on the counter. “How about a kiss?”
My warlord walked over to me, his gaze blatantly possessive. “My precious warrior.” Wulf’s strong arms closed around me.
Home. He felt like home. I ran my tongue over his sinful mouth and nibbled at his lower lip. “I like the way you feel. The way you taste.”
Wulf made a low, guttural sound and focused his attention on the sensitive spot behind my right ear.
Wowzers! That felt so good. I arched my neck to give him better access. My hands skimmed over the powerful muscles in his back. Mine. All mine.
The pad of his thumb brushed my nipples, sending a tsunami of sensation straight to my core. My toes curled. “We need to get naked. Now!”
“Yes.” He pulled up my tunic.
“Whatcha doing?” Bui and Bedan asked in unison.
My cheeks flamed. How could I have forgotten about the kids? “We’re…ah…we’re…”
“Checking each other for bugs,” Wulf supplied.
Bugs? That was the best he could come up with?
“Bugs!” The babies exclaimed and wiggled under my tunic, searching for them.
I let out a startled yelp and twitched madly as they scampered about. A giggle escaped me when they explored my underarms. “Help me.”
Wulf stuck his hands under my tunic and made a grab for them.
“That’s my right breast.”
“A very nice breast too,” Wulf commented.
“Eeeep!” I jumped as the kids crawled around in my pants. “Get ’em out! Get ’em out!”
“Look! There are bugs in that cage over there.” Wulf chuckled as they zoomed off.
“That wasn’t nice,” I scolded him.
“I never said I was nice.” Long fingers slid down my belly, lower and lower until they reached my pussy. “But I am very good at pleasuring females.”
“Say what? Just how many females have you been with?”
“The numbers are not important.”
My temper flared to life. “Oh yes, they are.”
“You are the key to my happiness.” Wulf deftly tormented my clit.
“You better not… Oh my…be sticking…um…your snake… Oh. Oh. Oh, Goddess.”
“More?” His voice was a husky whisper in my mind.
My nerves were singing with too much pleasure for me to think or even protest. In the back of my mind, I knew we needed to talk about the other females in his life. Plus, this was a warzone, and what we were doing was so wrong. The Overlord definitely wouldn’t be happy with us having sex before I reached my twenty-first birthday, and we were still under attack, but I didn’t really care. I wanted Wulf. Now. “Please. Don’t. Stop.”
Wulf leaned over me and kissed me.
It was the best kiss ever, sensual and full of promise. It was a kiss straight out of one of those lurid romance novels Ziyad read to me. Pure heaven.
“I am going to touch your body with my mind. It is going to feel very, very real. I am going to explore your secret desires and fulfill them. I am going to make you come over and over again, until you scream my name and beg me to stop.”
I jolted as Wulf’s sharp fangs bit into my nipples. The bolts of pain mixed with an erotic delight that had my clit throbbing and moisture trickling down my thighs.
“You are so responsive,” Wulf rumbled. His hot mouth closed over my pussy. He licked, sucked, and nipped my swollen bud of flesh until I squirmed like a wanton pleasure worker.
I knew warlords were experts at mental sex, but holy Goddess, this was true bliss. Wulf replaced his merciless tongue with two long fingers. He pumped into me hard and deep.
My inner muscles clamped around his marauding fingers, and a firestorm of sheer ecstasy flooded me. I could hear my shallow, ragged pants. “Too much. It’s too much.”
&
nbsp; “I have not even started.”
My breath hitched as Wulf’s penis teased my clitoris, rubbing back and forth. “It feels so real.”
“In your mind it is real.” With one hard thrust he pushed inside me, stretching me, filling me.
I inhaled sharply. I could feel his thick length inside me. I wiggled my hips experimentally and gasped as the delicious slide of his flesh created an exquisite torment.
Wulf’s incredibly long dick seesawed against my clit as he pulled out then pushed back in.
The titillating friction was almost too much to bear. Out. In. “Oooooh Goddess.”
“It gets better.”
“Any better and it’ll kill me.” My nails dug into his taut ass as he caressed my channel with firm, expert strokes. Wulf was a fever in my blood. I burned for him. He was everywhere, touching my mind, my body.
Wulf pumped his hips harder and faster. “You are mine. Say it.”
“I’m yours.” I writhed, needing more, and just like that, tentacles flexed in my core, electrifying every nerve ending. They vibrated faster and faster until I came apart. I screamed.
Bedan and Bui skittered up my body and asked at the same time, “Where you hurt?”
“That’s Momma Yakira’s battle cry,” Wulf replied smugly.
“Where bad?” Bedan’s eyestalks examined the room anxiously.
“It was a psychic battle, sweeties.” My body stilled hummed, and I wanted more, more, more. Psychic sex was addictive.
Bedan wanted to know. “Who won?”
“I did,” Wulf answered.
I whacked his chest. “You pervert. The kids could have been traumatized for life.”
“I doubt it,” Wulf said with a dismissive shrug. “Same thing happened to Bree and Jaylan, and their kids are fine.”
Bui climbed on my nose. “Want bugs. Me hungry.”
Wulf cocked an arrogant brow. “Told you they would be fine.”
“Daddy Wulf will find you some nice juicy bugs,” I said, giving Wulf the stink eye.
Poof. Wulf disappeared. A minute later, he reappeared with a container of insects.
I stared at the bugs. Oh, ick. They were a cross between a roach and a multilegged slug. “What are those?”
“Karakors.”
Bui bounced in excitement. “Me like karakors.”