Claimed

by Presley Hall

  “I know.” My jaw tightens as I look out into space, thinking of our planet ahead. “I’ll fight for her, Malav, no matter what. You know that. They won’t all be pleased. But Prince Khrelan has always been a reasonable man. I think he will see the possibilities, the meaning of this mate bond, and that he will be open to discussion.”

  “I hope so.” Malav frowns, his blue eyes turning a shade darker. “There’s the question of what to do with the other women, as well. No mate bonds have appeared yet among any other Terrans and Kalixians, but it could be from reticence as much as from lack of compatibility. And even if they do appear…” He shrugs. “They’re not all as sweet and loving as your Rose, if you’ve noticed. I’m not sure these other Terran women will be so quick to accept that we won’t be taking them back to earth.”

  I raise one eyebrow at him, chuckling. “I think I know the one you’re referring to.”

  Over the past weeks, I’ve seen him clash with the woman the others call Harper more than once, and she hasn’t given an inch. It reminds me a little of the way Rose fought with me in the beginning, except Harper seems even more obstinate, not even susceptible to Malav’s many physical charms. At least with Rose, I had the benefit of her desire for me to soften her a little.

  Malav snorts under his breath, shaking his head a little, and I know I’ve guessed correctly. He turns to me, about to say something else—but before he can, a shrieking alarm blares out, startling us both.

  Desh. We both look at each other, and his expression mirrors the thoughts in my own head. Is it the Orkun?

  My body tenses for battle, cold determination flooding me. I almost lost everything last time the Orkun boarded this ship. I won’t let it happen again.

  But then the door bursts open and Vrexen almost falls into the room, gasping.

  “Commander! The ship is damaged. A reactor that was damaged in the explosion was overlooked, and we’re losing power. We’re going to have to make an emergency landing.”

  I stare at him, my mind racing. “What’s the closest planet?”

  “Wauru is within distance. Barely. It’ll be a rough landing.”

  “The damage isn’t repairable?”

  Vrexen shakes his head. “Not in time. We need to land. Now. It’s far worse than we realized.”

  “The escape pods?”

  “Unusable.”

  I nod, not bothering to waste another second asking pointless questions or cursing our fate. “Get everyone on the captain’s deck. Hurry!”

  Wauru. There are worse places to land. It’s a trading post, uncivilized and wild, but that could be for the best.

  There’s no government of any real kind to contend with, and no one is likely to report us to the Orkun, as everyone there has their hands in something illegal. They don’t want attention any more than we do. Gambling, gladiator fights, black market trading—it’s all there.

  Vrexen and several other men disperse to round up everyone on the ship, and my thoughts shift immediately to my mate. Rose is running toward me as soon as I step outside of the command room, her eyes wide.

  The alarm continues to blare as I grab her in my arms, squeezing her tightly in an embrace before ushering her toward the deck.

  “What’s happening?” Her expression is fearful, but her voice doesn’t shake. “Are we going to be all right?”

  “We’ll be fine,” I reassure her, although I’m not as certain of that as I would like to be. “Druxik is a hell of a pilot. He’ll bring us in safe to land, with Malav’s and my help.” I gently guide her over to where the women are huddled in a group next to the rest of my warriors. “Everyone needs to strap in. It will be safer that way, and I’m not taking any chances.”

  She nods, her grip tightening around me as I pull her close and press a kiss to her hair. My Rose is brave, but I can feel her shudder in my arms, and I know she’s afraid.

  And she’s right to be. We’re entering the atmosphere too fast for a normal landing, and Wauru is too close.

  We’ve survived so much. We’ll survive this too, I tell myself.

  We have to. I can’t contemplate any other possibility. I can’t fathom losing Rose so soon after I’ve found her.

  I kiss her again, hard and fast, and then allow M’Xelni and Tycran to escort her away with the other women. My men will make sure that everyone is safely settled into the emergency landing seats arrayed around the ship.

  Half my soul seems to follow Rose as she goes, but I bring my mind into sharp focus, concentrating on the task at hand. I can’t let worry for my mate distract me from doing what must be done to save her. Rose is relying on me. My men and all the women we rescued are relying on me.

  I won’t let them down.

  Drawing a steadying breath, I glance over at Malav as I take my spot at the controls, Druxik between us at the main panel.

  “No one else I’d rather do this with, brother,” he mutters under his breath, and I grin at him. “Always an adventure.”

  “It’s been an honor, Commander.” Druxik’s voice is grave as he addresses me, although he doesn’t look up from the panel before him.

  The ship hurtles into Wauru’s atmosphere, and I hear the harsh, low groan of metal as the force of our entry ripples through the ship. I can see the surface of the planet now, growing closer by the second as Druxik, Malav and I struggle to slow the ship’s trajectory.

  “Hold on tight!” I shout. “We’re coming in hard!”

  Hard is an understatement.

  In my mind’s eye, I have a momentary flash of Rose, her bright green eyes and her soft, pale hair. The strength of spirit that seems to infuse her whole being. My beautiful mate. My Irisa. I have no way to know for sure if we’ll survive this, but I know her face is the last thing I want to see if death does come for me today.

  Beside me, Druxik and Malav both grunt.

  The force of the ship striking the ground throws us all backward, pinning us to our seats.

  I can feel the large vessel sliding, spinning, and the shriek of metal fills my ears as the ship tears itself apart. I abandon the controls, throwing my arms up over my head as I brace for the final impact.

  Gods, please let us live.

  27

  Rose

  I’ve experienced a lot of frightening things in the last several weeks. But the knowledge that we’re about to crash land on a strange planet is definitely up there in the top three.

  As we hurtle toward the surface, I squeeze my eyes tightly closed and think of nothing but Tordax. He and Malav and Druxik will keep us safe, I tell myself over and over. They’ll land the ship.

  But even I know they can only do so much. They’re brilliant warriors and skilled pilots, but some things are out of even their control.

  “Hold on tight!” Tordax shouts. “We’re coming in hard!”

  The moment we hit the surface of the planet, I’m forced back against the sturdy seat as if I’ve been punched in the sternum. I can hear the ship tearing itself apart as we land, the force of it whipping my body around as if I’m riding the world’s most vicious roller coaster.

  Around me, the Kalixians grunt, and several women scream as we’re rocked violently back and forth, the screeching of metal outside telling me that the ship is being shredded to pieces.

  But somehow, miraculously, when it finally comes to a stop… we’re still alive.

  My body feels shaky and weak, as if my blood has turned to water. I peel my eyes open and look up in time to see Tordax, Malav, and Druxik striding into the room where the other Kalixians brought us.

  “Get out!” Tordax shouts. “Quickly!”

  He reaches me in a few long strides and unclips my harness, lifting me into his arms. I can tell I’m bruised from the force of the straps digging into me, but I don’t think I’m hurt any worse than that. My ankle is almost completely healed thanks to M’Xelni’s ministrations, but Tordax doesn’t set me on my feet until we reach the exit door.

  He and the other men force the door open,
and bright sunlight streams through, a waft of hot air blasting me in the face. Moving quickly and efficiently, the Kalixians help the women out into the sweltering desert air.

  We get away from the ship as fast as possible, very aware that at any moment it could catch fire or explode. My body is braced for it, fear filling me with every step I take over the scorching sand. But although smoke pours from the back of the damaged ship, nothing blows up.

  When we stop some yards away from the wreckage, I shield my eyes with my hand, looking out over the desert.

  “Where are we?” I ask Tordax in a breathless voice. It looks as if it could be Utah, back on earth, for all I can tell.

  “Wauru,” he says grimly. “A trading outpost. We need to be careful—everyone here is doing something that they shouldn’t be. But the upside is that no one will report us or take much note of our presence. We can gather ourselves, find a new ship, and make a plan. And we can resupply.”

  “What do you mean, ‘doing things they shouldn’t be?’” I eye him, frowning.

  He shrugs. “Black markets, gambling, fighting rings. But slavery is outlawed here, so if you fight, you get paid. The men and I should be able to earn enough money to purchase a new ship without much difficulty. And aliens of every type come through here regularly—a group of Kalixians and Terrans won’t be remarked on much. We’ll be as safe as we can possibly be anywhere except home.”

  I look around, seeing the Kalixians gathering together. Malav walks toward Tordax, undoubtedly to decide on our next plan of action. The braver women are approaching the warriors, asking how they can help, poking through the wreckage to see what can be salvaged now that it’s clear it’s not going to catch fire.

  Amazingly, most of the exotic animals that the Orkun had aboard their ship survived the emergency landing, and the Kalixians quickly set about herding them off the ship. Some of them are small enough to be kept in cages that can be carried, but some need to be leashed or otherwise restrained.

  The women help, only handling the less threatening creatures while the alien gladiators wrestle with the bigger ones.

  “Why are we doing this?” I ask Tordax after the last of the animals is carried off the ship. “Not that I thought we should just leave them, but I wasn’t sure if you would…”

  I don’t finish the sentence. I’m sure Tordax has had to make many difficult decisions during his time as commander of a warrior force, and I know that if it came down to our lives or the animals’, he would let them die in a second to save us. I can hardly blame him for that, even though I’m glad we didn’t abandon the poor creatures to die in the desert.

  “Only if I had to, my Rose. I would only leave them if there was no other choice,” he murmurs, guessing my thoughts in the way he seems able to do more and more lately.

  I don’t think the bond has given either of us a psychic link into the other person’s thoughts, but we can definitely sense each other’s emotions. And more importantly, we’re getting to know each other better every day. I can read his face like a book now.

  “So, what are we going to do with all of them?” I ask, looking up at him. His bronzed skin glistens under the bright light of the sun, and he looks utterly comfortable in this wild landscape.

  “We’re going to sell them,” he tells me with a grin. “The Orkun warlords’ greed is our good luck. There will be buyers looking for exotic pets in the markets in Monri, and although it won’t earn us enough tokens to buy a ship, it will allow us to secure accommodations while my men and I fight in the ring.”

  I’m glad he said “pets” and not “food.” And I’m even more glad to hear him say we’ll be able to find a place to stay while we’re on this planet. The thought of camping in the desert wasn’t exactly appealing.

  My arms go around Tordax’s waist as I sweep my gaze over the Kalixians and women around us. Somehow, despite the fact that we’ve all come from different places, despite the fact that we’ve gone through unimaginable trials in the last several weeks, we’ve become a strange sort of ragtag team.

  At least, most of us have. I can see Harper’s grim face on the outskirts of the group, looking thoroughly displeased.

  Truthfully, I’m not thrilled about our crash landing either. After fully embracing the mate bond with Tordax, I’ve been so looking forward to seeing his home planet of Kalix—and I know my excitement was just a shadow of his own. It’s his home, and every time he talks about it, I can hear the love and longing in his voice.

  But we’ll make it there eventually. I have faith in him and the rest of the Alpha Force to take care of us and get us off this planet. And in the meantime, I have everything I need.

  I turn to Tordax, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

  “I know this isn’t what you wanted, Tordax. I’m sorry it’s not Kalix. But wherever you are,” I whisper in a soft voice, “that’s my home.”

  His arms wrap around me fiercely, clasping me to him as he kisses me in return.

  “Then let’s go see our temporary home, my brave warrior,” he says, smiling down at me.

  28

  Rose

  After finally getting used to life on the commandeered Orkun ship, I assumed it would be difficult to adapt to being on a strange new planet.

  But somehow, being here with Tordax feels more natural than life on earth ever did.

  It takes us nearly a day to reach Monri, the largest city on Wauru. It reminds me of Middle Eastern cities I’ve seen in movies—dry, dusty, full of open-air markets and shouting people and traders. When we arrive, we pass a large cantina, a fighting ring, and several smaller bars, as well as a market and food stands with mouthwatering smells. I’ve already resigned myself to getting used to eating strange foods, but as we pass one with a particularly pungent smell of meat, I feel my stomach turn over a little.

  I tense, although Tordax is too distracted to notice. I manage not to throw up, but my heart starts to race.

  What if…

  I don’t say anything to him—and I won’t, not until I can talk to Osynth, the Alpha Force’s medical technician. I don’t want to get my mate’s hopes up if it’s not what I think.

  It doesn’t take long for Tordax and Malav to find buyers for the animals we brought into the market with us, and while they haggle with potential buyers, the other men surround me and the women protectively. About an hour later, Tordax and Malav return, both men wearing pleased smiles.

  “First, food,” Tordax says firmly. “Then we’ll find a place to stay.”

  I settle for some clear soup and a salad of somewhat-familiar looking vegetables when we stop at a food vendor’s tent, along with a delicious flat bread and water. It’s simple, but it’s far better than any of the cheap, processed fast food I used to eat.

  As we make our way toward the outskirts of the city where we’ve been promised we’ll find affordable accommodations, Tordax takes me through some of the market stalls, pointing out places where I can buy clothing to replace the baggy, threadbare garments I’ve been wearing. Money has been set aside for our housing, but there’s enough left over for a few other purchases as well.

  “I don’t know.” I shake my head as we pass one stall with brightly colored fabric flapping from racks in front of it. “It’s your money, and I can just wear what I have on…”

  “Every token I have is ours now,” Tordax says firmly. “Remember what you told me about the ways of your people, this ‘marriage’ that you have?”

  I nod, feeling butterflies in my stomach at his words as he looks down at me.

  “That is what this mate bond is, Rose. There are formalities, and we will observe those, as long as you still wish it. But it is as inviolable as any marriage vow. What’s mine is yours now.” He grins. “And I told you that I was going to see you dressed in beautiful things.”

  So I relent and choose a few things—two brightly colored wrap dresses in a silky chiffon that will be perfect for the desert heat, one a vibrant green and another in red, as well as a pai
r of loose, flowing light blue pants and a matching top that wraps around my torso and stops halfway down my stomach.

  This will all be comfortable if…

  I stop the thought before it forms. I don’t know yet.

  “We’ll be here a while,” Tordax explains as we walk through the city, his Kalixian warriors and the other women clustered close behind us. “So we need to find long-term accommodations. I can’t say how long, exactly, but it will take us some time to earn enough for a ship.” He looks down at me, some concern in his face. “I hope that’s all right.”

  “I told you, wherever you are is home for me,” I say firmly. “And I meant it, my love.”

  Our accommodations turn out to be far better than I’d hoped. There are rooms for rent in a large terra-cotta building toward the edge of town. It’s a bit run-down, and the rooms are simple and small, but ours has a balcony overlooking the city with heavy drapes between it and the room that open to give us a view from our bed, as well as a wide, deep pool in the adjoining room for bathing that can be filled and drained as needed.

  Tordax looks around as we walk in, shutting the door behind us. “I think this will do nicely,” he says, and I turn to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  I feel every part of him react as my lips touch his. His hands go to my waist, pulling me against him, and I can feel him harden instantly as my body arches against him, my breasts pressing against his bare chest as his tongue slides along my lower lip.

  He reaches for my thin shirt, his hands running up beneath it as he strips it off of me, throwing the dirty fabric to the side as he feverishly reaches for the button of my pants.

  “I never want to see these clothes on you again,” he says against my mouth. “Only beautiful things from now on.”