I sucked in a breath, realizing that the other Atlan warrior stood just outside the force field and could see me. Had. He had been able to see me, but no longer. Deek’s body shielded me entirely.
“Turn away, Dax. I would cover my mate.”
“Of course.”
I couldn’t see what was happening, but Dax must have turned his back. Deek reached over onto the floor and picked up my discarded cloak. When he had the garment open and ready, he wrapped it around me.
He looked down at me, his eyes once again honed to a warrior’s sharp attention. “No one will see you. Your body belongs to me.”
His words only made me hot. I shouldn’t want to feel possessed by someone else, have someone stake a claim on me, for it went against every feminine principle I’d held dear. But from Deek’s lips, they were protective and… God, perfect. I wanted to be possessed by him, for there was no question he was possessed by me. A mating was different than picking up some hot guy at a bar back home. I could sense our connection, could feel it in my pussy and down my thighs.
He spun back around once I gripped the cloak about me, covering me once again from head to toe, only this time I was naked beneath, my dress still a small pile on the floor.
“Warlord, explain yourself,” Deek commanded, his shoulders back, his bearing that of a true leader. Even naked, he was magnificent and demanding. While I held tightly to my modesty, it seemed Deek had none.
“While on the Battleship Brekk, before your transport here, I put you through the Coalition Bride protocols for testing. Just as you did for me. If you were to be executed, I knew there was only one woman in the universe who could release you from your mating fever.”
Deek pulled me forward so I was by his side, his arm wrapped securely about my waist.
Dax and Sarah stood on the other side of the force field, appearing just as they had when they’d left. How long ago had it been? They seemed more relaxed now, less tense, but their eyes held questions.
“Tiffani,” Deek replied. “My matched mate.” I liked the way my name sounded in his deep voice.
Dax nodded. “She is one feisty female. She forced the Bride Program to transport her, adamant that she could—and would—save you.”
He looked down at me with a hint of awe and respect in his sated gaze.
“Which she has.”
When Dax exhaled loudly, I turned to l
ook at him. Sarah took his hand and she smiled. He did, too. I realized then that they hadn’t known the mating had succeeded in soothing the beast, in ending the mating fever. They only knew that I was their friend’s last chance for survival.
“I see the cuffs on your wrists.”
Deek held one up at Dax’s statement, stared at it, then grinned. “My beast is soothed. I am—” he glanced down at me with a look of reverence, “—claimed.”
“Guards!” Dax shouted, his voice booming and echoing off the walls. “Guards,” he repeated once again until he heard their heavy footfalls approach.
“Do not fear,” Deek murmured in my ear. “You were so very brave. It is now my turn to take care of you.”
I had never heard a man utter such words to me before. The comfort and shelter that they provided was like a balm. I hadn’t realized how alone I’d been, how much I’d had to bear and handle without the support of… anyone. A lump formed in my throat as I blinked back tears.
The guards came then, turning Deek’s attention away from me.
“Commander Deek’s mating fever has been relieved. Release him at once,” Dax ordered.
There were four guards similarly dressed in form-fitting armor like none I’d ever seen before. The strange material looked impenetrable, but it molded every muscle and plane of their bodies with amazing detail. The black and brown swirls, some type of camouflage I assumed, made them look immense and indestructible. I tried to imagine Deek’s massive frame in such armor and very nearly groaned with desire. God, he’d look fucking hot.
Two guards approached, but the one with the most stripes on his chest and wrist stepped forward. He looked to Dax, who had issued the command, then to Deek. His eyes widened when he took me in on the wrong side of the force field wall.
“Commander,” the man said.
Deek held up his free arm, showing him the cuff. “It is true. My mate is here and we have completed the mating bond. Summon the doctor to confirm my mating fever is gone.”
The guard’s gaze assessed Deek for a second, then flicked to me. I stared straight back at him, daring him to deny me. I wasn’t leaving this cell without my mate.
He held my gaze for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes, Commander.”