The warriors prize, p.4
The Warrior's Prize, page 4
“It is,” he said. “Is Jaquar here?”
She nodded and turned, calling to her mate.
A moment later, the physician entered the room, looking little different than he’d looked on the fateful day that had changed Zak’s life forever. The Tausean’s tall, broad body was the perfect complement to his life mate’s curvaceous, feminine form. As he stood there, his keen eyes brimmed with affection, and Zak knew the doctor had not forgotten what he’d done.
“My friend.” He walked over. “This is a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“I didn’t expect to come back to the Northlands,” Zak said. “But I’m here for help.”
“Anything.”
Zak reached into the sling and lifted Emily from its folds. Her skin was even hotter now. She moaned, her face wincing in her unconsciousness.
“What is she?” Irina was at his side.
“She’s human.” The doctor glanced at his mate and then back at Zak, obviously puzzled.
Zak could tell Jaquar had questions, but he didn’t ask them. Instead, the doctor took Emily from his arms and walked toward the back of the house.
“This way,” he said over his shoulder, and Zak followed, worried by the heavy concern in the Tausean’s voice.
While the house itself was simple, the medical room was on par with the ones in the domed cities. With mining so vital to TraoX39, the government made sure each outpost had a doctor to treat miners, many of whom came to the planet as indentured servants.
“What happened to her?” Jaquar laid Emily carefully on a table. She moaned when her hot skin met the cool metal surface, but did not completely wake.
Zak had no choice but to tell the truth. “She escaped from the penal colony. I’m a bounty hunter now. When I found her, she’d dug out her transmitter. She was bleeding heavily. I flushed the wound, and used a FleshKnit to close it.”
“Stupid.”
Jaquar was as honest as ever, Zak thought cynically.
“I had no choice,” he said defensively. “She would have lost too much blood otherwise.”
“You closed up the infection inside of her. Better to have left it partially open to drain.”
The doctor reached for a small vial, cracked it open and waved it beneath Emily’s nose. She’d been moaning slightly, but now she went limp.
“Turn her on her side,” the doctor barked, and Zak complied. The physician sliced through the fabric of her shift with a laser cutter. When he did, Zak felt sick at what he saw. The location of the crude incision Zak had enclosed was now puffy and red. He cursed himself, looking away as the doctor used the scalpel ray to reopen the wound. He did not have to look to know how serious it was; Zak had smelled the sweet, sickly odor of infection before. Guilt suffused him. If he’d just taped the wound and rushed her back to the penal colony as he should have done—as he’d been obligated to do—then she’d not be lying on Jaquar’s table, pale and obviously septic.
The two were silent while the doctor worked. Zak glanced at Emily’s face. She looked like a sleeping child, her dark lashes fanning over her pale cheeks, her hair spread around her like a cloud.
“Will she…”
“She’ll live.” Jaquar continued to clean the wound as Zak watched in silence, remembering the Tausean showing the same efficiency in the battle camp. How many of his brothers had Jaquar saved? In Zak’s mind, that had made Jaquar a brother, too. But when he’d needed them, only Zak had stepped up. And it had cost him everything.
“You were smart to bring her, Zak.” Jaquar was looking at him, a relieved smile playing on his full lips. Zak watched as the physician administered three injections, and felt his fear lift as Emily’s color started to return.
“She’ll be fine by the time you get her back to the penal colony,” Jaquar said.
Zak ran his hand through his black hair. He still needed something from his friend. But would he give it?
“Here’s the thing, Jaquar. I’m not taking her back. As far as they know, she’s dead.” He looked up at his friend. “You saved her life. I really can’t ask for more, but I’m going to. I need a safe place to hide her until I can arrange transport off of TraoX39.”
For a moment, Jaquar said nothing, but turned to place the instruments he’d been using on a tray Irina held before him. Only after his mate left the room did he speak. “You just decided to take a prisoner and keep her? Is there some history? Do you even know her?”
“I’ve saved females before, even when I didn’t know them.”
“You did,” Jaquar acknowledged. “And had you not defied Legion orders to rescue Irina, I’d have lost my life mate, and have been forever alone.” He paused, gesturing toward Emily. “What was she in prison for?”
Zak dropped his gaze. “Murder.”
Jaquar shook his head. “It is not my business why you have taken this human. And I owe you a debt. I will give you shelter, Zak. I will give shelter to you and this human. But there will be conditions.”
“I’m listening,” Zak said.
The doctor turned, picking up a tiny tube. Inside was what looked like grains of sand.
“A prisoner on the run? It’s not unusual for them to try to dig out the transmitters if they can feel them. The larger ones are usually put in female prisoners because they are cheaper and females are less likely to mutilate themselves to remove them. But if you’re going to keep this human—especially one with a violent history—then let me fit her with a new one—one she won’t even realize is in her. I can’t risk having her take off. There are no humans here; the presence of one will raise questions, especially the presence of one in the company of a bounty hunter who was supposed to return her to the colony. I could be charged with harboring.” He shook his head. “I have a mate to protect, too.”
Zak fell silent, conflict playing on his handsome features. Technically, Jaquar had repaid his debt by saving Emily
“She’ll be none the wiser,” the doctor said. “And this more advanced device will have functions that can help not just track her, but control her if need be.”
Zak wanted to say no, but Jaquar was right; this was a risk. So he nodded his assent, then watched as the alien doctor pushed the tube against Emily’s skin and pushed a button.
“It’ll find its way to her bloodstream,” Jaquar explained, “where it will shrink to become the size of a cell. The mines use these on prisoners released to work here. They’re more expensive, but the miners are worth more than prisoners since they produce.”
“Everything is about profit now,” Zak said, looking down at the human. His human. He felt another stab of guilt at agreeing to the transmitter, especially when he considered the will it must have taken to dig the other one out.
“What are your intentions?” The doctor cocked his head. “Are you going to sell her?”
Zak looked down. He could easily do that—sell her on one of the galactic markets; humans fetched a good price. And with the colony convinced of her death, it would be easy enough on another planet. Then he remembered her soft body against his chest, the sound of her moans, her upturned bottom reddening under his hand, the recollection of the spirited fire in her intelligent eyes—if he was going to risk upending his life for the second time in a decade, it would be for something worth it, something personal.
“I plan to take her as a mate,” he said, and looked at the doctor, expecting judgment. But there was none. If anyone understood that need, it was the Tausean who would not have his mate were it not for Zak’s bravery.
“Very well,” Jaquar replied. “But I’d recommend a full exam, for breeding purposes. And I also recommend you train her to obedience before you attempt to smuggle her out. In fact, I insist on it. She should know her place by the time you leave here, should know to be meek and quiet.”
Meek and quiet. Zak recalled her spirit, even when she was swaying from blood loss. But he recognized the wisdom in Jaquar’s advice. Emily would need a protector. And one with so strong a will, he knew, would only respect and obey the protector who mastered her. His domination of her—both sexual and physical—had to be established early on. His cock stirred in his breeches. He’d heard of other Traoians training humans, had heard tales of the sweet resistance followed by the sweeter submission. That ritual, that dance, would be even more rewarding with her.
“You have my word,” he said. “By the time I leave with her, she will be mastered completely.”
“She’ll need to be awake for her next exam.” Jaquar waved another vial under Emily’s nose, and she stirred. As she did, the cut halves of her shift fell open. Zak couldn’t help but notice that even the doctor looked impressed by what he saw. But he covered Emily with a sheet and turned back to his friend. “For now she’ll need to heal. I recommend a period of extended sleep, and intravenous feedings.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “She needs to rest. I have to leave anyway; I have to make it back to the colony with the old transmitter. But I’ll be back.”
“I understand,” the doctor said. “We will keep her here, Irina and I. When you return, we’ll wake her, and the training can begin.”
Zak nodded, and took one last look at his mate before turning away to leave. Soon he would be back at the penal colony, where he would deliver the transmitter, and the lie about what had happened.
Chapter Five
“This may pinch a little…”
Emily coughed and choked as her fog of induced sleep dissipated and drifted away, leaving her staring up at the high ceiling of a room with stone walls and heavy furniture. She blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the first thing she saw—a rectangular shape on a small table by her bed. It took a moment before it came in view, and then several more moments for her to realize she was looking at some sort of three-dimensional model of TraoX39. The tiny red dot, she assumed, represented the location of wherever she was. It was on the day-lit side of the planet. On other side—barren and uninhabitable—was the long night she’d read about, with its three moons. She wondered if she’d ever see those moons. Days and nights lasted decades here. The fact that she may die without ever seeing moonlight again made her sad. She missed the night.
She looked up now, rubbing the sting in her arm. A tall alien male in what looked like a blue cassock stood by her bed. He was beautiful, with white-blond hair. He ran a wand up and down her body. A doctor.
A female came in, carrying a tray. She looked at Emily with kindness.
“Where am I?” Emily asked, pulling herself to sitting as she stared around the windowless room.
“Somewhere safe. I am Irina. My life mate is Jaquar of Aclym. He is the healer here. We are Tausean.” She smiled. “Have you met any Tauseans?”
Emily wasn’t sure. Her memories were jumbled from the effects of the medication. Everything was crashing back into her mind at once, and she tried to process and grab the most recent recollection.
She remembered then, the first sight of Nagoln over the top of the sling. After that… nothing. She looked up to see Irina studying her, and her confusion must have been apparent, because the Tausean began to fill the gaps in her memory.
“You got very sick on the way here—an infection of the blood. Zak showed up on our doorstep, asking Jaquar to save your life in payment for a debt.”
“I’ll leave you females alone,” the physician said. Emily watched him go before turning her attention back to Irina, who was dipping a long oval into a bowl of what looked like thick porridge. The smell of some sweet spice wafted up to Emily’s nose. Irina spoon-fed her some of the mixture, which was as delicious as it smelled.
“You know Zak?” she asked.
“He saved my life,” she said. “We were on Savusia then, during the Mador Wars, and Jaquar had treated many soldiers from the Galactic Legion. The Mang Alliance was sending ships to destroy the city where we were based. We were under mandatory orders to evacuate. But somehow, Jaquar and I became separated and the ship left without me.” Her eyes misted at the memory. “Zak defied orders to come back for me. He wanted to do a kindness for the healer who had saved some of his brothers.” She paused. “But disobedience to authority is punishable by banishment from the Legion, who vow to act as one. No quarter was given to your Traoian. He lost his family to reunite me with mine.”
Emily listened quietly, trying to square this version of the Traoian guard with the one who’d punished her in the cave before dragging her cross country to the point of exhaustion.
“He’s not my Traoian,” she said quietly. “He’s my captor. And I’m only alive because the doctor owed him a debt.”
“Well, whatever he is to you, you are alive and should be thankful.” The porridge was gone now and Irina stood and quietly left the room. In the silence that followed, Emily felt a twinge of regret for her spikiness. Irina had been kind. And even if the healer’s motives were in payment of a debt, she was alive because of him. She wondered if she’d be punished for her impertinence when Zak returned. She thought back to how it felt to be over his knee, how strong he’d been when he’d held her, how he’d pushed the root into her resisting bottom. The thought was accompanied by a flutter in her lower belly and a corresponding twinge between her legs. She shifted, resisting it, and stood, moving from the bed on shaky legs as if she could leave the feeling behind.
She walked around the room, feeling her legs growing steadier as she moved. There was a window to the side, and she looked out over the stone mounds rising like nodules at the base of the mountain. Snow had fallen while she’d been sleeping. The smoke rising from between the white-capped mounds was white against the dark gray of the sky. The looming mountain looked like a piece of jagged black glass.
She sat by the window for some time, thinking, and then heard voices, muffled through the door. She could make out those voices in greeting, Zak’s deep one was distinct among them. It occurred to Emily that she should get dressed. Then Emily looked down and realized she’d obviously been bathed and changed while she slept, but the shift she wore was diaphanous. She glanced around hurriedly, eying the garment Irina had left on a nearby chair. Rushing over, she pulled off the shift and reached for the dress. The fabric was like nothing she’d ever touched. It looked like shiny cloth, but felt denser, like leather or skin. The dress slipped on loosely, but as soon as it was on, it molded to her curves just enough to skim them and emphasize her shape. Her hair, black as a raven’s wing, was clean at least. But it fell around her shoulders in a wild tangle that she sought to comb with her fingers. She was just finishing when the door opened and Zak walked in. He stood staring at her, his eyes moving over her form without even the hint of propriety.
“You’re back,” she said, crossing her arms across her breasts. Her nipples had grown hard as soon as he’d opened the door. She attributed it to the feel of the fabric against them, and even though it obscured the peaks, she felt compelled to cover them nonetheless.
“Yes.” He walked in, shutting the door behind him.
“You went to the colony?”
“To return the transmitter.”
She remembered now. “So they think what? That I’m dead?”
“Yes.” He was still standing by the door.
She crossed her arms, dreading the answer to her next question. “So what happens to me now?”
He was regarding her coolly. When he spoke, his tone was matter of fact. “I need a mate.”
She swallowed. “Oh. Well, I don’t know how much you know about Earth culture, but on our planet, the female generally has to agree.”
“We aren’t on Earth. The rules here are different.”
She nodded. The conversation was entering dangerous territory now. But Emily was bold. “Obviously,” she said. “But you don’t seem any more interested in rules than I do. If you did, I’d have gone back to the colony along with that transmitter.”
He seemed nonplussed. “There’s a larger rule,” he said. “A primal one. Like it or not, it is in force across the galaxy, with few exceptions.”
“And what is that rule?” she asked.
He stepped over to her. When he stopped, he was so close she could feel the heat of his body. “Male takes female,” he said.
Emily felt a flush come over her body, felt her nipples harden to rigid, aching peaks. She shifted, trying to avoid the soft, unbidden ache triggered by his words.
“Not this female,” she said, her voice full of conviction that didn’t quite reach the soft throb she was trying to ignore.
“The only other options are to sell you, or give you back to the colony.” He looked back at her. “Neither of those things are going to happen. I intend to keep you as my own.”
“So that’s it?” she asked, allowing her indignation to flare. “You’re just going to… just take me?”
“Not right away,” he said. “You’ll be trained here first. I won’t leave until you understand your place, which is under my control and protection. A Traoian male will die for his mate, but he also expects obedience. Defy me, and you will be punished. I’ve been all over the galaxy. The methods of correction I’ve learned are quite effective.”
The defiance that had both sustained her and betrayed her was now a fire in her breast. She stepped over to him this time. “I will not be trained,” she said.
A slight amusement played in the gray eyes locked on her. He was a tiger, and she was the rabbit that challenged him. She knew this, and did not care.
“We shall see,” he said.
Chapter Six
Zak locked the door behind him, and headed to the exam room at the back of the house. When he’d arrived back from delivering the transmitter to the colony and collecting the bounty, the first thing Irina and Jaquar had wanted to know was whether his superiors there suspected anything.
He’d told his friends the truth; the derision he’d received over losing the human paled in comparison to what he’d faced when he’d handed in his resignation. Bounty hunting for the penal colonies was no longer for him. Long days of tracking down desperate prisoners on the plains of TraoX39 no longer appealed to him. He’d leave the pressure and politics to others, let someone else dig through warm entrails of slaughtered beasts to retrieve transmitters. The merchant haulers were hiring, he told them. It was time for him to go. He’d collected the bounty on the transmitter, just enough to pay for transport off the planet.
