To Catch A Warrior [Unearthly World Book 5]

by C. L. Scholey

  “No. You will stay close, as close as I can keep you.”

  When Titus rose he carried her with him. She was surprised he moved so easily, she was exhausted, he was far from it. Her legs wrapped around him when he sat at the console. She gazed out the window at the fiery wall. Zabbie turned to press her face into his chest and felt Titus moving, no doubt pressing buttons. The shuttle began to shudder and shake. Titus wrapped his arms around her.

  “If we explode I can’t save us,” Titus said. “But we will die together in each other’s arms.”

  “If we live, I want to stay in your arms.”

  “You will. But remember, I’m flawed.”

  “You’re perfect.”

  * * * *

  The wall of fire was inching closer, the ceiling dropping at a steady rate. Beneath the shuttle, the icy ground showed the fire beneath; any second the ground would be consumed. Titus wondered if his intrusion caused the sun to turn into itself for protection, intent on destroying the new threat. There couldn’t be any other possible answer. The shuttle hovered and shook while Titus backed them up as far as he could, the flames licking the shuttle’s ass. With a push of a button their fate would be decided.

  The shuttle shot forward. The sun’s flames rolled over them, everything lighting up. Zabbie clung tighter burying her face deeper into his chest. She was mumbling in a strange language. The craft began to heat up. A warning the landing gear was gone flashed. The shield was buckling quickly. Both of them were naked and Titus felt his hair dance around them cooling them off with a small breeze.

  Fire began to creep in under the door hatch. Zabbie must have seen it because her hold was impressive. Her knees and feet came up to pull against his body, his hair shielding the bareness of her delicate limbs. He had been gone less than twelve hours, he hoped Cy would be waiting. The shuttle continued to blaze. Zabbie’s chanting grew louder. Chest to chest, he could feel her heart pound, her body tremble. He took a moment to soothe her by running his hand down her spine. The small intimacy was profound, she was his now, for how long remained to be seen. With all his heart Titus hoped he would be able to learn more intimacies with her.

  As the fire closed in on the window, Titus saw his mother ship before the flames obstructed his view. Cy had stayed. He hoped they wouldn’t be smashed against the hull, his ship and warriors would be fine, but he and Zabbie would be annihilated. A sharp squeal sounded. The shuttle was rolling; he wrapped his body around Zabbie. A violent flip and he was sent flying from his seat. The feeling of catching air was short lived. The two of them were slammed around the shuttle. Inside the floor, ceiling and sides heat rose to extreme temperatures. If he let Zabbie loose she’d burn to death. He had her pulled sideways against him, her hip curled at his belly, legs tucked under her. The shuttle door flew off, clean air filled his lungs and a quick look around Titus knew he was in his ship’s hangar. The shuttle banged off a hangar wall. They were thrown free. Titus skidded across the floor, flipping and spinning his arms and hands, cradling her against him. Her bones were too delicate; the impact would snap them like twigs.

  Cartwheel style, legs spread, Titus was spun through the air. His last flip tossed him onto his feet and Titus ran, the shuttle close on his heels grinding its way across the floor. A quick look back and Titus pumped his legs faster.

  The vessel was almost on top of them. Head ducked, Titus moved like a warrior possessed. His breath in gasps, his lungs paining. The floor was eaten up beneath him until the shuttle was about to crash down on his head. It squealed closer, closer. He bent lower to avoid the impact as long as possible, crouching as he fled. Last second he was grabbed by an arm and yanked into an alcove as the shuttle blazed past, smashing to the floor, to crash against a wall, crumbling to one quarter of its original size. Titus gasped for air; his head fell back against cool metal. The grip on his arm loosened. His hold on Zabbie relaxed. The threat had passed.

  “Holy hell entrance, drama king,” Cy yelled. His was the sweetest of voices.

  Both Titus and Cy were sitting, Titus almost in his friend’s lap. He grinned at Cy. “Nice to see you too.”

  “Are we dead?” Zabbie asked.

  Titus chuckled and uncurled Zabbie from his arms. “We are both very much alive.”

  Zabbie took in her surroundings. To Titus’s surprise she disengaged his arms and stood up. Her gaze fled to everywhere at once.

  “Oh my God, I’m actually free of that awful planet. Free.” She smiled insanely with a hand pressed to her mouth.

  “Titus, that’s not Bertha,” Cy said as both warriors watched the naked female walk in circles, eyes wide.

  “Bertha is gone, my friend, there is no hope for her.” Titus settled his steady gaze onto Zabbie. “The female’s name is Zabbie. She’s my responsibility. I won’t fail her like I failed Bertha. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her.”

  Cy groaned. “Don’t start this shit all over again. She’s human, so what? You owe the female nothing. You saved her life, nothing more. Your honor knows no limits. Give her to another warrior to deal with.”

  “I mated with her. I gave her my seed. You know what that means when it involves an Earth female. She will need my protection on our planet, for life.”

  The astonishment on Cy’s face made Titus chuckle. “You mated her already?”

  “Yes.”

  “But…”

  “No buts, Cy. She’s mine. I knew what I was doing. Again, no one twisted my arm. She’s not certain what a mating means, but she will.”

  “Your ah, mate, seems a bit awkward.”

  It was true. Zabbie had long legs that went on forever. Her sweat dampened tufts of hair stuck wild in different directions. She was bruised and tripped over her own feet. Her arms wrapped around her middle and her look was incredulous. Her boobs bounced as she moved. Her lips were working as though she were speaking aloud. To what, he had no clue. Titus wondered if she were in shock. His little mate was in need of attention.

  “This ship is huge,” she declared casting Titus an excited glance. She was animated and skipped back and forth. “It’s so warm.” She spun, arms out in a fast circle.

  “Earth females really have boobs all the time,” Cy said.

  “Yep, and they feel amazing.”

  “Huh.”

  The ship was cool for humans, but since she came from a frozen hell, Titus could understand how she felt. Zabbie’s mouth hung open as she spun in a slow circle. She was making him dizzy. This female likes to move in circles—a lot. Titus rose to his feet discarding battle mode, as did Cy. He placed his hands on her shoulders to still her.

  “There is a lot more to see, but I think it best if I get you clothed. My warriors are honorable but they are all male. You look like a tasty treat, my little mate.”

  “I want to see everything. Everything.”

  Her green eyes lit up in animation making her facial features twice as pleasurable. Titus smiled. She was beautiful when she appeared so open.

  “First you must wash, eat and dress,” Titus said. Then to Cy, “Get this ship on a course for home.”

  Cy was standing off to the side studying Zabbie. “Maybe we should learn a little more about her, Titus. Mate or not she isn’t familiar.”

  “No worries, my friend,” Titus said and removed a hand from Zabbie to clap Cy on the back. “I plan on learning everything there is to know about her right now.”

  Titus turned Zabbie around and both strode away with Zabbie trying to stare at everything at once. Cy watched them leave and spun around as something bumped into his legs. A large canister set free with the crash rolled back and forth against him, back and forth. Once Zabbie was out of sight, the canister lay still.

  Chapter 4

  Zabbie stepped into the wash stall when they reached Titus’s chambers. He directed her to the smaller room and she caught fast glimpses of a huge room with overstuffed furniture and large windows. The rectangular, high clear glass of the stall reminded her of a weird cylinder futur
istic space oddity. She spun in a slow circle wondering how to turn it on. There were faucets but there wasn’t a clear indication of the normal H or C. She was surprised when Titus climbed in beside her. The square area was huge, there wasn’t limited space, but Titus pulled her close.

  “I can bathe on my own,” she said. She didn’t mind Titus being in the stall with her. Truth be told, she wouldn’t mind being glued to his side or gazing at him all day. She heard the other male call him Captain, he told her he was leader and she knew Titus must have duties; she didn’t want him thinking he had to babysit her.

  “No, you can’t.”

  Confused, Zabbie watched as Titus stood before her and turned on the water. A horrific blast of wetness sluiced over Titus’s shoulders spraying her. Her hands came up to splay in front of her face and she ducked closer to Titus. She understood immediately the water was too strong for her delicate skin, she would have been peeled alive. Zabbie began laughing.

  “Holy power wash.”

  “Don’t be afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of anything,” she declared.

  Zabbie lifted her arms for her hands to play in the water trailing over Titus. It had been so long since she had really bathed naked. Blissfully the water rinsed over her head and onto her face. Titus turned a little and the water hit her mound, he spread her folds with his fingers. When she was soaked he pushed a black button and she squealed when she was covered over in a slippery substance. He worked the soap over her clit with his fingers and lifting his hand, massaged at her breasts. Titus turned her around and washed her back and hips and ass, sliding a finger teasingly between her ass cheeks. His hands felt so wonderful on her contact deprived skin she wiggled back into him, feeling his thick erection standing at attention.

  “If you only want to wash you should hold still. You can feel I’m ready,” Titus said, his words sounded like a warning and an invitation.

  Zabbie reached back and gripped his cock in her hands, Titus groaned. “I want to spend every day as though it will be my last. I did that on the sun planet. I sang when I wanted, I danced when I wanted. Too many times I thought I’d die when the Gorgano had me. I’m alive; I was alive then but not living.”

  “You will not take unnecessary risks.”

  “Is this a risk?”

  Zabbie gripped his cock tighter. Titus growled and bent her forward until her back arched and her hands rested on the shower wall. She spread her legs and felt the water whoosh between her ass cheeks. The wetness was heavenly warm. She cried out when Titus gripped her hips and plunged into her. She allowed her head to drop as she braced her body by locking her elbows. The pounding of the virile male behind her was intense, each thrust sending her to the tips of her toes.

  One hand released her hip, and Zabbie gasped as Titus squeezed a breast. Her large tit was kneaded and tugged. Titus wasn’t kidding when he told her he needed to dominate. Zabbie didn’t care; she wanted what he had to give. She needed to feel everything, every touch every squeeze, every pull and thrust. She’d lived in her mind alone for too long, imagining feelings and an embrace. Titus was real; she encouraged him to thrust harder, to be brutal, to let her feel, to make her feel.

  Her arms buckled and she would have gone headfirst into the tile if Titus hadn’t gripped her so roughly. Her body lay over his long forearms while he continued to batter into her from behind. For a moment she bit her lip, her top teeth worrying over the soft texture of her chapped bottom lip. Fists gripped his wrists and her feet came off the ground when he thrust harder. She screamed when he bellowed, his seed exploded into her, searing her insides. His tone was encompassing, ricocheting within the enclosure. She felt him feel around behind to turn the water off as he pulled from her. Zabbie groaned.

  “You ejaculate like a power washer.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  Zabbie turned in his arms and stared up at him. She lifted her hand to trail across his strong jaw line. His normally wild hair was saturated and fell below his ass. For a moment his eyes blazed brighter and Zabbie warmed as he dried her. She turned from him and stepped out of the shower stall with him trailing, drying her back, ass and thighs.

  Titus went to a square outline in a far wall and pushed a button. A drawer opened and he dipped his hand inside pulling out black material. He donned the pants in front of her then stood staring at her breasts, her face, her hips.

  “Take a picture, it lasts longer,” she teased.

  Titus walked to what Zabbie knew was a replicator; it was larger than the one in the shuttle. He programmed the machine and handed her a pair of pants similar to his but dark red. She could see her full length reflected in a mirror. For a moment she gazed at herself. Sometimes she had seen her reflection in the ice, but it was as if a stranger stared back. Something about how old her eyes were. Her hair was growing in which was a relief, she thought she would be bald forever. She was a little self-conscious and lifted a hand to finger a few tuffs. She was thinner than she remembered but still as tall. Her face had two red blotches on either cheek, no doubt from the cold. They would fade in time. Her green eyes still looked ancient, and sad, and she was surprised.

  Bruising dotted her exposed flesh. She admitted she was clumsy, but in her defense ice was a bitch to walk on. She was grateful there were no signs of bad frostbite. The material she wore hugged her ass and thighs and covered her to mid-thigh. The t-shirt was loose and comfortable, she had no underclothing but gravity was still on her side. She waited expectantly for shoes of some kind. Instead, he brought her food.

  “You can have all of this,” Titus said in warning. “But you will eat it slowly.”

  “It wasn’t my fault I choked. You made me cry. In my defense, I hadn’t eaten anything but that odd fruit.”

  Titus looked thoughtful. “The fruit you speak of is strange. Nothing should have existed on the planet. Everything was frozen.”

  “Well, the fruit did.”

  “I believe you. There would be no other way you could have survived.”

  “What?” He was staring at her in a strange way.

  “You spent more time with the Gorgano than any female I know of. You’re positive it didn’t have any effect on you?”

  “Such as?”

  Zabbie settled onto an oversized piece of furniture and curled her legs under her. She picked up a tender slice of dark meat and nibbled.

  Titus sat beside her. “When human females come into contact with the Gorgano they develop an ability to fight, or they die. The Gorgano didn’t kill you, it kept you. You can speak my language so the Gorgano must have done something.”

  “I wouldn’t mind some super powers. I’ll try and see if I can move something.”

  Silly as she felt, Zabbie concentrated on a small object. She tried to move the foot length pen-type rod. Nothing happened, not a twitch or a shimmy. She took a deep breath and gazed at Titus.

  “Sorry. I got nothing. You found yourself a dud.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Finish your meal and I’ll take you on the bridge.”

  “Awesome. I was afraid you were going to keep me locked in here.”

  “Wherever I go, you go.”

  “Titus, don’t confuse me with another.”

  “I’m under no disillusions, you aren’t Bertha, she’s dead, she has to be. You are alive. I plan on keeping it that way.”

  “Titus, I won’t be kept in a cage or on a leash. I spent too much time dead and alone. I’m going to live every day as though it’s my last from now on.”

  “We shall see.”

  * * * *

  Titus watched Zabbie wander the bridge of his vessel. He’d never encountered a female so curious. Nothing was overlooked, not even his warriors. With amusement, a warrior stilled when Zabbie approached. The warriors were aware human females were skittish and sometimes afraid of them. His warriors were almost as large as him and he wondered if she would be shy. She reached for the warrior’s hands and Titus tensed; he didn’t kn
ow she’d touch him. Ask questions he thought, but all on the bridge were surprised. After a collective gasp, there was dead silence. Finn was the only warrior besides a mate that normally touched a female, and that was because he was a healer.

  Zabbie had no concept of personal space. The warrior’s eyes widened appearing stunned when she lifted one of his fingers to trace her cheek. Tane was a young warrior; he had Holidayed but had almost no contact with human females. The warrior would have no idea what to think about a female wanting to touch him. Tane went into battle mode. Zabbie didn’t flinch. From Tane’s awed expression, Titus could tell he was flabbergasted. Most normal beings at least made some kind of response to a warrior’s battle prowess. Zabbie might as well be sniffing flowers.

  “Your female’s going to start a riot,” Cy complained. “And why did you stop the ship, I thought we were headed home.”

  “Zabbie mentioned she was on a different planet with other humans. There might be a chance some survived.”

  “You mean females, don’t you? Damn it, Titus, it’s always those blasted humans. Why not let them rot and take us home, we have a war to fight.”

  “Why are you so grouchy?”

  “Look at your warriors; they’re all staring at your female and not paying attention to the task at hand. Tane looks like he’s ready to expire.”

  Cy was right. Zabbie was oblivious to the warriors prowling around her as curious about her as she was about them. She had zero fear of them, and zero ability to battle; the warriors were enthralled. Titus could almost smell the testosterone in the air. He should have left her in his cabin, but Bertha had been left alone until the last second and see where it got her. He noted his female was holding the fingers of yet another warrior. He was going to have to teach her though his warriors were honorable they were also all male. If she kept up what she was doing they would have the urge to Holiday.

  “Zabbie,” Titus shouted a little louder than he had meant to.

  Startled, she spun to face him releasing the warrior’s hand. “Did I do something wrong? I went from seeing no one to seeing so many. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, or without boundaries. I’m still trying to come to terms I’m alive and you’re all very real. Are you angry, Titus?”