Grigg rose to pace and I watched, inclined to let him decide a course of action. I was trained to heal, not deal with subterfuge and battle. And I knew for a fact that the war for our bride’s heart and loyalty had barely begun.
Arms across his chest, Grigg turned to me. “Do you wish to give her up? Ask for another mate?”
“No. She was matched to us. The testing was done. It was ninety-fine percent accurate. There is no question from Warden Egara, or me, that she is the one for us. She’s ours now, whether she realizes it or not. Whether her loyalties lie with her government or with us, her mates.”
“Agreed.” Grigg resumed pacing the small space. “This would explain Earth’s eagerness to send their first group of warriors into Hive combat.”
That was a surprise. “They are eager to send their soldiers?”
“Yes. Too eager. They didn’t even want to allow their sold
iers to complete the training protocols.” He shook his head. “Which is stupid, and suicidal. Their general’s report claims these men are something they call Special Forces, and will not require extensive training. They are Earth’s elite warriors.”
I smiled at Grigg’s expression. Game on. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Let them come, and use our beautiful little mate to lead us to the traitors among them. Surely they would not just send one spy.”
“And after?” The idea made me nervous. I knew Grigg would never harm a hair on our mate’s head, but I wasn’t so sure about the soldiers who would be coming from Earth.
“Kill the traitors and spank her ass a fiery red. She has been matched to us. Like you said, there is no question as to that, that she’s ours. We’re going to fuck her and fill her until she knows exactly who she belongs to, and it’s not the tribal rulers on Earth. They can’t fuck her and love her like we can.”
“No. She might be their spy, but she belongs to us.”
* * *
Amanda
I stirred at the sound of an odd beep. It happened only once, so I ignored it, rolling over. Being used to sleeping in new places all the time because of work, I woke knowing exactly where I was. Space. It also helped that my pussy and ass were both quite sore and I could never forget what Grigg and Rav had done to me. The plug had been removed directly after Grigg fucked me, while I’d been wilted and sated, then I’d fallen asleep between them.
The beep came again. Lifting my head, I looked about the bedroom. I was alone, the bed cold on either side of me. I didn’t stir when the men left, so they were either stealthily quiet or I’d been dead to the world.
Beep!
Grabbing the sheet and wrapping it around me, I went out into the living room, noting for the first time the small table with three chairs, the oversized couch bolted to the floor, the stark walls and utilitarian emptiness of the plain brownish walls. The whole thing screamed bachelor pad, and I wondered what kind of decorations I might find to make it feel more like a home and less like a hospital room.
Regardless, the room was empty.
Beep!
It came from the door. It seemed to be a space doorbell. I went over to it, but there wasn’t a doorknob. Perhaps it was motion activated, for as soon as I was within three feet of it, it slid open.
A woman was there, smiling at me. Garbed in a similar uniform to the one Rav had worn the day before, while his shirt had been green, hers was a pale peach color. But she was not human. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a braid, but that didn’t hide the dark orange color of the strands. She towered over me in the entryway, almost a foot taller than I. Her eyes, while kind, were a golden color I was getting used to, her skin a dark gold similar to Grigg’s. Her voice, however, sounded perfectly normal.
“You are the commander’s mate? Lady Zakar?”
Her voice was soft, kind, yet she had the erect posture of a soldier, of a woman who did not cow to anyone.
Gripping the sheet snugly, I flushed, for I could only imagine what she thought of me. I felt like I was doing the walk of shame, but had nowhere to go.
“Yes,” I replied. “I…um. I’m Amanda.”
When two soldiers entered the hallway, the woman glanced at them as I shifted back behind the doorway, then returned her attention to me.
“I’m Lady Myntar, but you can call me Mara. Your mates sent me. May I come in?”
Hearing the soldiers’ voices coming closer, I nodded and stepped back, not wanting them to see me like this, naked, used and wearing only a sheet.
She entered and the door slid closed behind her. I breathed a sigh of relief.