It had been the look in the men’s eyes that kept my head lowered, that made me feel inferior, not Tark. I didn’t want to see the leers, the arousal, the eagerness, even the curiosity that I’d seen when I first came into the tent. I only wanted Tark’s gaze on me. I liked it when I saw his eyes flare with heat. I liked knowing he was eager for me, that his curiosity rivaled mine for him. I didn’t mind any of it with Tark because I’d brought that about and I felt powerful, not slutty.
Was this what he had been trying to prevent by keeping me in seclusion? I’d hated the feeling of being hidden, kept from everyone else around me. I wasn’t used to it, but now I knew why. Outpost Nine was… uncomfortable, even for Tark. He’d had to make accommodations of his personal beliefs, his customs and convictions with the other councilors—it was obvious now with Bertok and a few of his followers—and I would have to compromise with mine. I’d been outspoken and he had spanked me to teach me the laws of the land. I was fortunate I’d been chastised before now, for I had learned to hold my tongue. If I hadn’t, surely Tark would have been forced to spank me in front of the entire council. His position not only as my mate, but as high councilor, would demand it. He’d talked about the palace, the city where he lived. Fortunately, our stay in this encampment was temporary.
But when the guard came in sharing the news of an accident, I didn’t want to keep my head down or remain hidden. I wanted to do my job.
Tark stood immediately and yanked the pole from the sand, releasing me from my pseudo-confinement. I jumped to my feet. Tark grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Goran.
“Take her to the harem.”
As Goran nodded, I said, “No! I might be able to help.”
The room had broken out into pandemonium. Everyone was talking at once, many leaving the tent with guards surrounding them.
“You mean your medical training?” Tark asked, his voice pitched low so only Goran and I could hear.
I nodded. “Besides, we don’t know if the accident was truly that or some kind of attack.”
Tark’s jaw clenched, but he was considering. He hadn’t said no yet. I didn’t want to be sent back to the harem, twiddling my thumbs and idly letting the world pass me by. Someone might die if I didn’t help and that went against everything inside of me.
“Consider that it could be a distraction to steer everyone from the harem,” I added. “You must admit there are many who do not like me. Hurting me means hurting you.”
Tark didn’t like my comments, but I could see he knew them to be a very distinct possibility.
“Please, Tark,” I begged. “I am of more value to this planet, to you as high councilor, to you as a mate than just a breeder. You may think me a murderer, but I am skilled at what I do. Let me help.”
He took another moment to decide. “Very well. You will stay beside me at all times. You must obey, Eva. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
My heart leapt into my throat as I realized he was going to allow me to join him. He was trusting me, allowing me to be more than what was normally expected of a mate. I could not sit idly and make woodcraft and he knew it. The matching, God, it was incredible, for Tark knew deep down things about me that other men would never see or take time to discover.
“Extra guards. Now,” Tark commanded to the men outside the tent. “Follow us.”
Tark gripped my arm and followed the man who’d interrupted the meeting. Goran followed closely on my heels. We weaved through people agitated from the news. As we walked, I was able to observe more of Outpost Nine than I had before. I’d been correct in my assumption. All of the men were large. Only a few women were about, all accompanied by a male escort. I looked down a long line of tents and saw stalls similar to a bazaar or fair at the far end. Smoke wafted and scents of cooking meat, almonds, and strange spices permeated the air. As we walked, I became winded, my skin beading with sweat. The sun was intense, but I did not wish to block my view with the robe’s hood.
“What has happened?” Tark asked the guard.
The man looked back, his face grim.
“Davish and his contingency were headed toward the leader’s section to the south when they were raided. They’d only gone part of the way when the attack occurred. Those who survived turned back, knowing the best chance for aid was here. The sentinels saw their return and called for help.”
“Drovers?” Tark asked.
“Most likely. They are long gone, but a squadron was sent to hunt for them.”
The differences between Tark as a lover and as high councilor were impressive. While he was dominant and commanding with me, his touch, his voice, even the thrusting of his cock, while deliberate, were quite gentle. I never feared him. Now, though, looking at the tense lines of his shoulders, the awareness of power about him, made him almost a different person. His guard was up, his defenses ready for whatever we would face.
We came out of from between two tents and the land opened up. Looking left and right, the outer edge of the outpost was visible, made up of a long line of identical temporary structures. It was a vast town in the middle of nowhere, if the vista before me was any indication. I’d been to the desert southwest with a friend from college one holiday break. The landscape was arid and scrappy. There were no trees as I’d been used to where I’d grown up outside of the country’s capital. The sky in Arizona was big and blue, the rock formations orange-red. That was the only desert I’d seen, the only thing I could compare this to. But the desert here, on Trion, was completely different from anything I’d ever seen before.
The sand was white, like the beach,
an endless ocean that went on for miles and miles in every direction. Scrubby purple, red, and brown plants dotted the rolling landscape and a few jagged gray rock formations broke up the straight horizon. What made me gasp were the two moons I could see in the sky, one white and one blood red. Holding my hand up over my eyes against the glare, I just stared. But not for long.
The guard pointed and to our right was a small group of people and large animals. I thought immediately they must be like camels, since we were in the desert, but they actually looked more like longhaired horses. Men held the leads for the animals, who had been placed in a protective circle surrounding people who lay sprawled across the ground. Tark pushed his way into the center and tugged me with him.
I counted quickly, my training kicking in. The familiar adrenaline pumped through my veins. Eight people lying on the ground, men and women both. Some thrashed about, clearly injured and in pain, others lay still. One was obviously dead from where I stood, brain matter seeping from a crack in his skull.
One of the men saw our arrival, stood from beside an injured woman and closed the distance between us swiftly.