by Rosalie Redd
He glanced around the room, taking in the empty weights against the far wall and the sparring dummies lined up in a row. Pictures graced the walls, many of warriors in battle, some with swords raised above their heads, others in beast form, long hair coating their tall, muscular bodies, claws elongated, tusks protruding from their jaws.
Saar longed to shift into his beast once again, but he wouldn’t take the chance, not unless he needed to protect someone he loved, like Noeh.
In recent memory, only two Stiyaha had returned to their human state—Tanen, the Keep’s council leader, and Noeh, their king. How had they shifted back? No one knew for sure, but some thought it had something to do with their new mates.
Three dark bands circled Noeh’s neck, the sign of an unusually strong bonding. Most bonded males received two bands and those who received one often wished they’d never mated.
Saar brushed his fingers over his throat. No mark would ever darken his skin. A longing deep inside twisted his gut into a tight ball, and he clenched his teeth.
Although the sac under his tongue had filled with his bonding ink a time or two, he’d never pierced the pouch. The liquid that would bind him to a mate and produce the bands remained intact.
Not that it mattered. There wasn’t a female in the Keep who would have him. Over his five hundred and fifty years on this planet, a few had lain with him for the experience, but all recoiled at his disfigurement. Now, he kept his distance from all females.
He placed his sword in his scabbard and faced his king so that Noeh could read his lips. “I do what I was born to do, fight this war for you and Alora.”
In this elaborate game they played on Earth, Gossum were the enemy, the ones to defeat in this bitter fight for the right to control the planet’s water. The fate of humankind, oblivious and caught in the middle, rested on the war’s outcome.
Unfortunately, the last battle hadn’t ended well. A tic pulsed in Saar’s jaw.
Noeh narrowed his gaze, flecks of amber sparking in his eyes once again. “Speaking of the war, seems Zedron has some new players in the game. A new enemy for us. Perfect, just what we needed.” He pursed his lips, the pink of his skin lightening from the pressure. “Where do you suppose those shape-shifting bears…the Ursus came from and why hasn’t Alora, our illustrious goddess, mentioned anything about them to us?”
An unbidden image flashed across Saar’s mind. During the last battle, a young Ursus female, mace in hand, stood before him ready to attack. She had long hair as dark as night, braided in a tight plait down her back, golden-yellow trim interwoven between the silky strands. Resolve glowed in her eyes, and she’d attacked him with a ferocity he’d never seen in a female before.
Although she was his enemy, he couldn’t bring himself to harm her. A strange desire to touch her skin had flitted through him, and before he could stop himself, he’d trailed a finger down her soft cheek. His fingers tingled at the memory.
“Saar?” Noeh’s voice broke through Saar’s thoughts, pulling him back to the present.
“Your Majesty?”
Noeh paced to a rack of barbells, leaned down, and placed his hands over the heavy weights. The muscles in his arms bunched beneath the similar military-issued black shirt all the warriors wore. He tapped his ring against the metal, once, twice, three times. The ping echoed through the empty room. “You didn’t answer my question. Where did the Ursus come from and why hasn’t Alora said anything?”
Saar pulled a toothpick from a small pocket under his belt and twirled it between his lips. The ragged tip caught on the soft tissue of his inner lip, scouring the flesh. Blood, tangy and bitter, filled his mouth. He waited to reply until Noeh turned around. “I have no answer for you on the bears or Alora. It doesn’t matter. In the end, we will prevail.”
The lines around Noeh’s eyes softened. “Your faith never ceases to amaze me and is only rivaled by your loyalty. Yes, my friend, we will succeed. We have to…” he blinked and peered at his ring. “I don’t know what I would do without Melissa and Anlon. If I ever lost my son…” His jaw tightened.
Saar tugged the dagger from his belt clip, and ran the sharp edge over the jagged toothpick. A few shavings curled into a tight twist and slid to the stone floor. “Melissa would tell you not to invite trouble.”
A short, stifled laugh emerged from Noeh’s lips. “She’d tell me to get on with winning this war.” He smiled and streaks of amber flashed through his eyes. “Put together a scouting party. Locate Mauree’s hideout. With all those troops, she can’t be that hard to find. We need to locate her before she attacks again.”
Saar sheathed his dagger, returned the toothpick to his pocket, and bowed. On his shoulder, his marking for loyalty burned while the ones for courage and honor were eerily silent. A sense of pride lightened Saar’s chest for his three dark, jagged lines. Born with his own unique marks at birth like all Stiyaha males, he’d honored his values well over the years and the markings had never faded. “Yes, Your Majesty. We leave at nightfall.”
Saar’s mind drifted to the beautiful female. Nothing good could come from seeing her again. She was the enemy. By all rights, he should kill her. He ground his teeth.
I pray I don’t find her. Yet, a part of him deep inside wanted nothing more.
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For more information on Undeniable Lover, click here
ALSO BY ROSALIE REDD
Books in the Warriors of Lemuria series:
Untouchable Lover - book #1
Untamable Lover - book #2
Unimaginable Lover - book #3
Undeniable Lover - book #4
Unforgivable Lover - Coming 2018
Unforgettable Lover - novella
Alora’s Love Potion - short story collection
Marked by Love - novella
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GLOSSARY
Antorro stalks: A green, leafy vegetable imported from the planet Antorro.
Aridis: Lemuria’s largest moon
Arotaars: People from the planet Arotin. Held as slaves on Lemuria. They have blue hair that sparks with electricity when they are emotional.
Craya: An expletive.
Dren: Short for “children.” Originally human adults, but were transformed into Dren through a Lemurian’s bite. During the “turning,” all Dren receive a unique, special power. Dren must drink blood at least once a week from the opposite sex or they become weak and lose their powers.
Gossum: Human converts turned by another Gossum through their bite. They have black eyes, and are hairless, with rough, scalelike skin down their neck and back. Gossum have a spur at the end of their long tongue which they use to paralyze their prey.
Haelen: Healer
Jixies: Small, dwarf-like characters that voluntarily serve the Stiyaha. Jixies tend to be quick, resourceful, and are great planners. Despite their short stature, they can go amongst the humans to obtain special items not made within the Keep.
Keep: The underground home of the Stiyaha and Jixies, located in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The Keep is sentient and reacts to her inhabitants with minor tremors and/or by warming or cooling the environment through the sunstones embedded in the walls.
Lemuria: A planet in the Orion constellation. Lemuria is slowly dying and its people must rely on natural resources from other planets to survive.
Lemurians: Refers to both the people on Lemuria, as well as, the characters on Earth. The people of Lemuria appear as gods to th
e characters in the war on Earth.
Matronin colony: A Lemurian trade partner from planet Matron in a nearby galaxy.
Newbs: Young children
Panthera: Sleek and muscular, these highly skilled fighters are known for their speed and agility. They transform into black panthers and are highly arrogant and confident. They respect strength and cunning and will only follow a leader who can command them.
Porte stanen: The massive stone structure in the Portal Navigation Center used to transport characters in and out of the Keep through the portal gateway.
Qithan: Betrothed
Rhondo beasts: Fearsome creatures that terrorize the surface of Lemuria. They have black, oily skin with disproportionately long arms and short legs. A small amount of hair runs down its spine. They have a long tongue and sharp teeth, including tusk-like fangs.
Stiyaha: Stoic and just, Stiyaha are noble warriors. Tall and strong, they transform into large beasts, between eight and nine feet tall, covered in fur with large, protruding tusks.
Sunstones: Magical stones that line the ceilings and walls of the Keep, providing heat and light to its inhabitants. Sunstones are used in trade and have some healing abilities.
Tratee flies: Small flying insects on Lemuria that have translucent wings.
Ursus: A tough, burly species that shape-shifts into large bears. Tenacious and vicious, they are fierce warriors.
Visus bacin: Scrying bowl
Yandora vines: A trailing plant the lives on the bark of the Etila trees. The leaves have a melodic tingle when touched.
ABOUT ROSALIE
After finishing a rewarding career in finance and accounting, it was time for award-winning author Rosalie Redd to put away the spreadsheets and take out the word processor. She pens paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy romance in her office cave located in Oregon, where rain is just another excuse to keep writing.