Seeran: Warlord Brides (Warriors of Sangrin Book 6)

by Nancey Cummings

  Hazel rubbed Mia’s back absently. With every shot, Mia flinched. Every explosion made her jump, clinging tighter. The force field kept out smoke and the majority of sound. The cell must have its own ventilation system, or it was venting. Who knows what buttons Hazel pushed earlier. At least venting all the oxygen was a fast death and a better one than they’d have at the hands of the Suhlik.

  She shuddered.

  Cen landed a shot in the Suhlik soldier’s neck. The lizard man’s head snapped back but he was already dead. He fell to the floor, eyes vacant.

  Cen kept shooting at a target just through the door, one that was invisible from Hazel’s vantage. He emptied the rifle of ammunition and tossed it to the side. The momentary gap in fire allowed two soldiers to enter the room.

  Cen hoisted what looked very much like an old fashioned bazooka to his shoulder and fired. A percussive bang exploded and smoke filled the room.

  Mia pawed at Hazel’s shoulder. She looked down. Her friend’s mouth moved but Hazel couldn’t distinguish any sounds beyond the ringing. It didn’t matter. She knew what Mia wanted. She wanted to know if Cen lived.

  The smoke cleared. Cen stood, in a grapple with a Suhlik, but he stood. He swung the bazooka like a club, driving the heavy equipment into the Suhlik’s leg. Cen took the moment’s advantage of a wobble and dove for another weapon. Everything in the pile was large and a poor choice for close combat. Springing back, he added distance.

  Suhlik filled the room, like water pouring in. The suppressing fire didn’t keep them at bay. They surrounded Cen.

  Hazel looked away. She did not know how long until the Suhlik noticed the two women huddled together. She scooted back into a corner, dragging Mia with her. The cell was completely empty. No bed. No thin foam mattress. Nothing to hide behind or under.

  This is how she ended, huddle on the floor, surrounded by Suhlik. It was inevitable, she supposed. That’s how her parent’s went. She never really left that moment of crisis, living her life while she waited for the lizard aliens to finish her. She should have listened to Seeran. She should have told Mia no.

  She regretted not having more time to spend with Seeran and her heart ached longing for the years they wouldn’t get.

  “Don’t look,” she said, her voice distant through a fog. “Don’t look.”

  Seeran

  THE COMPUTER AUTOMATICALLY alerted Seeran to his mate’s location. When she foolishly moved from their quarters—safety—to the brig, he knew the cause. That other female. The traitor’s mate. She bleated or cried and pleaded until his mate’s gentle, soft heart relented to some foolish plan.

  Now they would die.

  Unless he could get to the brig.

  Seeran raced from the hangar, abandoning his team. Merrek was more than capable of firing his gun in the correct direction. The rest of the team would follow.

  The brig was as far from the vital functions of the Judgment as possible. One did not keep traitors and criminals near the bridge where their sabotage could take down the entire battle cruiser. As it was, he ran the length of the battle cruiser, cursing it’s impressive length and size. Only his vanity compelled him to serve in the largest Sangrin-Mahdfel clan. Once again his vanity brought trouble.

  He barely noticed the alert of the Judgment being boarded. He knew where. The Suhlik took no prisoners and allowed no failures to survive, lest it infect the rest of their kind.

  He barked orders and a team followed him.

  He could save her.

  If he were fast enough.

  If fortune favored a fool.

  If.

  Hazel

  A FIGURE EMERGED FROM the smoke.

  Hazel didn’t want to look. Her body wanted to curl up on itself but she resisted. If this was the end, she’d at least look the lizard alien in the eye. They took her parents all those years ago, it was inevitable that they would come to finish her. She regretted that Seeran would blame himself. This was her poor choice, her hasty action meeting violent consequence. Her pain would be brief but he would continue to pay for her stupidity, and it was so stupid.

  Smoke stung at her eyes. She blinked back tears.

  She needed to tell him she loved him at least once more.

  The figure came closer, a single horn rising above his profile.

  “Seeran!” Her voice rasped, raw from the smoke.

  He leapt over the fallen Cen and Suhlik, landing in a crouch outside the cell. Slowly his figure rolled upwards, growing taller and impossibly stronger and so, so scary. Blood and soot marred his face. The broken horn made him impossibly savage and his eyes were ice cold. No fire. No warmth. Only fury.

  Hazel went cold. She knew that look. She’d seen it plenty from her ex. Her eyes fell to the floor, ashamed and knowing she deserved everything coming to her. She’d defied his orders. She’d put herself in danger. She’d freed a prisoner. She’d needed him to rescue her. The ship was in the middle of a battle and Seeran’s stupid human wife ran off to commit more acts of stupidity and here he was, at her feet, furious.

  She embarrassed him in front of the clan because he couldn’t control his woman. She made him appear less of a man.

  His hand slapped at the control panel. She flinched.

  He approached. She could feel the heat rolling off of him but she wouldn’t look. Couldn’t look, not if she’d only see hatred—or worse, disappointment—in his blue eyes. No, it was better to stand still, lip trembling, and wait for the first strike. He wasn’t cruel, not really. He’d get her punishment over with as soon as possible.

  He stank of sweat and blood and gunpowder and smoke.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I shouldn't have. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry and I love you and please don't be mad. Please. Just yell at me. Do something. Please.”

  Why was he taking so long? Just do it already.

  Hazel lifted her eyes.

  Seeran sank to his knees.

  His arms wrapped around her, the armor oddly flexible and hard all at once, and he pressed the side of his face to her stomach.

  “I’m sorry I could not get here faster. I thought I lost you, sweet one.”

  Her knees gave out. A nervous giggle bubbled up. She clamped both hands over her mouth but she couldn’t fight the laugh. This was inappropriate. They were surrounded by bodies. Mia’s husband was likely dead and Hazel couldn’t stop laughing.

  She worked her hand into his short hair, reassuring herself that he was real, that this was real. She hadn’t been shot after all and wasn’t hallucinating in the last moments of her life. “Is this real?”

  “Are you well?”

  Was she? Hazel nodded dumbly but Seeran was not satisfied. He spun her in a circle, inspecting her.

  “We are going to medical.”

  “I’m fine, I’m just so happy you’re here.”

  Seeran rose to his full height. A hand on either shoulder kept her in place when she felt like she’d topple over. Maybe medical wasn’t such a bad idea. She’d breathed in a lot of smoke, it made her light headed.

  His eyes softened, just for a moment. “Do not do this again, mate.” He leaned in and said softly, just for her, “My heart cannot take it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Seeran

  The traitor was slow to awake. He knew his fate and did anything to avoid it, dragging out his worthless life for a few more moments.

  Except his worthless life saved Mia and Hazel. The females foolishly went to the brig and inserted themselves into a dangerous situation. The traitor’s death had been a certainty but now could be spared, depending on the warlord’s mood.

  Seeran stood back as Paax entered the medical bay. The warlord gave Seeran and the rest of the staff a passing glance. A frown rested on his face and every step was heavy, deliberate and annoyed at being summoned. He did not appear to be in a pleased mood.

  “What happened,” Paax said.

  “This one was left in the brig,” Seeran said.

  “But he did
not remain in the brig. Explain.”

  Technically Cen never left the brig, just the detainment cell but Seeran saw little point in picking over the finer details with the surly warlord.

  “The barrier must have fallen in a power outage,” Seeran said. “He created a barricade and held the Suhlik at bay.”

  “With the females present.”

  Seeran raised his chin and remained silent.

  “Is that how it is? If the females were foolish enough to dash into battle, they are not warriors. I do not expect a warriors judgment from them.”

  “I could not say, sir.”

  Paax sighed, the heavy sound of a male who wanted to go home to his family. “I see. Let me speak to the females.”

  Other warriors escorted in Hazel and the traitor’s female, who still cradled her injured hand, wrapped in thick gauze. His mate’s eyes light up with delight when she saw him. Seeran growled a warning at the male who held his mate by the arm, like she was a criminal. No male should touch his mate. Ever.

  “Relax, big guy,” she said. “I’m fine.”

  “That is not the point,” Seeran said, turning to the warrior. “Do not touch my mate!”

  “Enough!” Paax’s voice filled the medical bay. Every warrior and the two human nurses paused. “Explain your actions. Now.”

  Seeran watched helplessly as the warrior shoved his mate toward the warlord. He saved her once today, charging into a room filled with Suhlik soldiers and striking wildly. Only the star’s good fortune cleared that room.

  He could not save her twice.

  Hazel

  “IT WAS ME,” MIA SAID, lifting her chin. “Hazel had nothing to do with it.”

  Seeran knew Hazel’s access code had something to do with it.

  “I wanted to see my husband, before you murdered him!” She spat out the words.

  Paax regarded the female with hooded eyes. Finally, he turned to Hazel. “You let this female convince you to wander about a battle cruiser in the midst of a battle, despite the instructions of your mate to remain in safety?”

  “We didn’t wander,” Hazel said, realizing her mistake. It was better to say nothing than to explain. What would the warlord do for punishment? He broke Seeran’s horn. She didn’t have a horn but he could break another bone. Seeran swore that no Mahdfel male would ever harm a woman but the murderous glare in the warlord’s eyes made her question her husband’s oath.

  Paax could strike them both down for their recklessness.

  For the first time since Scott appeared at that tacky restaurant in Florida, fear gripped her heart. Nothing was in her control. Whatever the warlord decided, she had it coming. Seeran couldn’t save her.

  “I’m sorry,” Hazel said in a small voice.

  “You’re sorry.” Not a question but a statement inviting an explanation.

  She raised her eyes, finding her courage. She was sorry but did the warlord expect her to beg? Grovel? “We planned to give Cen a weapon and return to our rooms, but we ran out of time.”

  “And why did you feel it necessary to free my prisoner?”

  Mia’s voice broke. “They would have killed him! I had to do something.”

  Hazel held the warlord’s gaze. “Because he was left alone to die and that’s not right.”

  Paax scratched at the base of his one remaining horn. “Cen’s crime against his clan is unforgivable. It is beyond my power to wash that away.”

  Mia sobbed. Hazel moved to comfort her friend but Seeran laid a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

  “But he was prepared to sacrifice his life to save the lives of two reckless, foolish females. You,” he said, turning his piercing gaze to Hazel, “will have your ship access severely limited. It was an oversight to allow you so much freedom. We won’t make that mistake again.”

  He turned to Cen. The male straightened his back, preparing to hear the worst.

  “I’ll send you to Sangrin,” Paax said at length. “You are banished. I spare your life only for your mate’s sake. Whether another clan takes you is not my concern. Now leave.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Six months later

  Seeran

  THE GLOW OF DAWN WOKE Seeran. The sounds of a household waking gradually replaced the quiet. For a moment he believed himself on the Judgment. His mate snuggled into his side, her breasts resting heavy on his arm. Contentment soaked into his bones and Seeran was certain he dreamed still.

  Voices stirred outside the bedroom door.

  This was not a dream. The dawn was real. The birdsong real. The voices belonged to his parents, possibly to his brothers. Seeran and Hazel were on Sangrin, at his parent’s vineyard.

  They were on vacation. Such a strange Terran concept.

  Hazel did a slow stretch which started in her feet and worked its way up her entire body. She did it every morning when she was truly awake. Sometimes her eyes might open or she might stumble into the cleansing room, but her mind was not awake while her body went through the necessary motions.

  Her warm brown eyes blinked up at him and a smile spread lazily on her face. “Hey there, good looking.”

  He brushed back the hair from her eyes. His hands continued down in one smooth motion over her shoulders and down her arms, settling finally on the curve of her stomach and to the life they had forged there.

  “Seeran—”

  He said nothing. Words could not convey his joy or his desire so he let his kiss express himself.

  She responded eagerly. Always so eager, his mate.

  He shifted and rolled her completely to her back. Her thighs opened, inviting, and he settled into the best place in the universe. He parted her lower lips with a hand, already finding her wet and ready. “Did you dream of me, sweet?” She often woke with an appetite for her mate.

  “Hormones,” she said, gasping as his fingers plunged into her.

  “Lies,” he replied, covering her neck with a long, slow lick. “You crave your mate, as you should. He is an impressive specimen.”

  Her laughter, low and throaty, was the sweetest sound, almost sweeter than the nectar from her cunt but not nearly as sweet as the hot, tight grip of her when he slid in.

  Her legs locked around him as he rocked into her. In the last months, he’d studied his mate’s body and the best ways to give her pleasure. It was a never ending quest he was happy to pursue. He knew that she often preferred slow love making, but also hard. Slow, forceful and measured strokes. Her hips rose to meet him, never flinching from the power of his thrusts and often sighing in delight as he pounded her delicate frame. Slowly, though, to draw out every moment. He was not one to rush and when her inner muscles clenched and convulsed, massaging his cock as she released, he resisted the temptation to follow. Experience taught him that this was when his mate wanted fast and hard.

  He loved this transition, watching his mate come undone as her desire burned brighter. Her thighs clenched him tighter, her heels kicking into his ass as if to increase his speed. His hands cupped her ass and lifted her from the bed, only her shoulders rested on the mattress.

  One hand gripped the base of his broken horn, the sensation enough to make him spill his seed. “Fuck me like you mean it, husband.”

  The glow from his tattoos filled the room with a silvery light. He burned for her. With her. He pounded her into the mattress with her moaning and crying out. His mate.

  His only true mate.

  His world, his universe, was reduced to sensation, the slap of skin on skin, the satisfied moan of his female and the light sheen of perspiration on his brow. Back bowed and neck arched, his female lunged forward and pulled his face down to hers. “I love you,” she shouted right before kissing him with her teeth nipping his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

  He came undone.

  He pumped his seed deep into her, every muscle tense and chest heaving. She took every drop of him. Finally empty, he dropped down next to her and gathered her in his arms.

  His rough hands s
troked the soft skin of her back as she settled in comfortably.

  “Think anyone heard that?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Everyone heard them, no doubt.

  “Oh my stars, your parents—”

  “Will be proud of their son’s vigor.”

  Hazel giggled, all at once sweet and demur. He drank it in. After all, he had quite the sweet tooth.

  Hazel

  THE SETTING SUN CAST a pink hue to the mountain in the distance. The last rays of light caressed the valley with a lingering embrace. One by one, lanterns came to life in the neat, orderly rows of the vineyard. They were a point of golden light in the darkness.

  Seeran insisted on returning to his home planet for the light festival, a winter holiday. Despite her nervousness at meeting his parents and brothers, she was glad for the experience. His mother meet Hazel with open arms, zero reservations and a crushing embrace, followed by a never ending supply of food. Knowing her son was partial to sweets, she piled on the confections. First it was the childhood favorites, then the traditional holiday sweets and finally the attempted fusion of Sangrin-Earth desserts. She made a dark chocolate covered lemon-flavored chewy fruit candy that was subtly sweet and juicy.

  Hazel feared the indulgence went straight to her thighs but it was a temporary problem. She’d have a balance diet when their vacation finished.

  Hazel settled onto the wooden bench, with a blanket wrapped around her. The chilled air was still a novelty. The environment on the Judgment never fluctuate. She didn’t think it was possible to miss the cold or the rain but here she was, sitting on the back patio in the dark, completely happy to lose feeling in the tip of her nose and experience actual weather.

  Seeran stood behind her, wrapping his arms comfortably around her shoulders. His warmth cocooned her.

  “Can you see Rosemary?” Hazel lost sight of her sister moving as a dark shape in the vineyard.