“I will go after her brother. It was my interference that led to his capture.”
I shouldn’t be impressed by her warrior abilities, the tactical skill I’d witnessed on that freighter. Females didn’t fight. They placated, soothed, nurtured. They weren’t stupid; in fact, quite the opposite. A female was the only one who could tame her mate’s inner beast and that took keen intelligence. The initial mating fever was depleted by the bonding, but the beast’s unpredictable rage never truly went away. Our mates knew how to soothe the angst that raged within, often silently. I had never known such a level of anger and rage as when she was in grave danger.
I wanted to protect her, fuck her, care for her. But Sarah Mills didn’t want a mate and she didn’t seem like much of a soother. So, I would win her heart the only way I could, by getting her brother back for her.
The commander leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his massive chest. Were I human, I may have been intimidated, but I was Atlan, and even larger than the Prillon warrior glaring at me now. I welcomed his ire, happy to redirect his irritation away from my mate. “You are another problem entirely, Warlord Dax. What the hell are you doing in my sector without authorization?”
“I came for my mate.”
“I’m a warrior, not a mate. I told the bride program that. I’m sorry you didn’t get the memo.” She looked at the commander. “Can you assign me to a squadron that is perhaps at least fighting in an area around their closest integration center?”
“Do you want to be captured and turned into a cyborg?” I asked, my voice loud in the small room. She refused to relent and I refused to leave without her. I couldn’t. While the cuffs were not on her wrists—yet—I would not abandon my mate. She was mine and I would protect her—even from herself—with my life.
She rolled her eyes. “No, but I have to save my brother.”
“No, you do not. I shall retrieve him for you.”
She opened her mouth, her gaze spitting fire, but the commander rose from his seat and slammed his hand down on his desk. “Neither one of you is going into Hive territory to rescue a dead man. Captain Mills, your brother is dead. If they didn’t kill him outright, he’s been integrated into their Hive mind, his body altered with synthetic technology we will be unable to remove. He is dead. I’m sorry. The answer is no.”
The commander turned to me. “And you, Warlord Dax, will get back to the transport room and leave my ship. From what I heard of your actions, I don’t need you to go into berserker mode and be put down. Get to Atlan and find a new mate.”
“My mate is here. If I leave this ship, she is coming with me.”
Although it was true, I preferred my mate accept our match, forced bonding was possible. Sometimes, it was the only way to save a warrior’s life. I would not force her to accept the bond, but simply being in her presence soothed my beast. I would seduce her, make her come over and over until she thought of nothing but pleasing me, fucking me, soothing me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew she would not like to be commanded, but I would carry her off if necessary.
I didn’t need a full bond to hold off the beast for now, I just needed to be near her. Forced bonding was dishonorable, a desperate act by a desperate man, and something I would not do. Forcing the link between us boded poorly for the union long term. If I was going to be mated with this Earth female for the remainder of our lives, I wanted her to at least like me. I wanted to fuck her, coddle her, cherish her—and fuck her some more, but I would not take an unwilling female.
I’d rather die.
However, seduction was a game I was eager to play.
“She isn’t leaving with you, warlord, because she hasn’t accepted your match. She’s not a coalition bride, she’s Captain Mills of Recon Unit 7.” The commander was equally adamant. “Right now, she’s mine. Prillon warriors do not force females into mating bonds they do not want.”
Sarah grinned then and my cock swelled. There was no question she was even more lovely when she wasn’t all stiff and proper. She felt victorious and powerful with the commander backing her, but that wasn’t going to get her what she needed to be happy and it was time to remind her of that.
I pointed at the commander, but turned to face her. “He won’t let you go get your brother.”
Her gaze darted from my face to her commander. “What can I do?”
“Go back to your unit and follow orders until your two
years is up.” When her shoulders stiffened at the commander’s direct words, he added. “You’re one of the best recon leaders we have. You’re smart, fast, and don’t panic under fire. The men trust you. You could do a lot of good here, captain. We need officers like you.”
I growled again; the thought of my mate going back into battle without me by her side was more than my beast could tolerate. Just thinking of the firefight I’d witnessed, ion blasts darting over her head, made my beast begin to pace. The commander would know my displeasure at his words. For a Prillon, he was big, but I was bigger. “She is not going back to battle.”
“Go home to Atlan, warlord,” he countered. “Find another mate.”
“I want no other.”
Sarah’s shoulders tensed at my vow and her gaze darted to my face as if she did not believe my words.
“Then wait for her two years of service to be up,” the commander ordered.
“Like hell,” I growled. “I’ll be dead by then.”
Her eyebrows went up.