Oh, shit. I turned to Deek, touched his cheek. “Deek, baby, calm down.”
He wouldn’t even look at me as Engel stepped forward again. It looked as if he might be coming closer, which made me wince and Deek roar.
Engel froze and turned to Dax. “Commander Deek’s mating fever has returned. You must summon the guards at once.”
I wanted to punch Engel for stating the obvious about Deek’s condition, but I wanted to kick him in the balls for daring suggest they drag my mate back to prison.
I whirled on Dax. “Don’t you dare. Just help me get him out of here. I’m his mate. He’ll be fine.”
“No touch,” Deek repeated, his eyes focused on Engel with laser sharpness, his hands tightly clenched into fists. “Mate.”
“Mate?” Engel said, voice incredulous, and a bit too loud for my liking. “She can’t be your mate. Look at you.”
Engel lifted his arm and waved it through the air. Everyone turned to look at Deek, whose eyes were nearly bulging from his head as he processed Engel’s claim. His breathing was rushed and ragged, as if he had just been in battle.
“Don’t listen to him, Deek. I’m your mate. I don’t care what he says.”
Apparently, when being challenged by another warlord, the woman being argued over became invisible, because Deek picked me up and set me down behind him, out of the way.
“Mate!” Deek shouted.
“She can’t be your mate, Commander. Or you wouldn’t be losing control.” His tone wasn’t loud or argumentative, it was patronizing, as if he were explaining two plus two to a five-year-old.
“Don’t mansplain your bullshit to me, Engel.” I shoved around Deek’s giant torso to scowl at Engel. Stupid ass. If he’d just let me get Deek out of here in the first place, none of this would be happening. God help me, I upgraded kicking him in the nuts to shoving a boot up his ass.
“I am simply stating the obvious, dear. You aren’t his mate. You can’t be.”
Before I could even scream at Deek to stop, he’d lunged at Engel. The older man was knocked to the floor and Deek literally jumped on top of him, arm raised to punch him. Or worse.
I screamed, but it was mixed in with the shouts of surprise from the others.
Dax stepped forward and grabbed Deek’s raised arm. But Deek was enraged, and it took four more of the waiting warriors to restrain him.
“Deek!” he shouted, using all of his Atlan warlord strength to tug him off Engel Steen. “Get control of your beast. Now!” Dax turned to me. “Tiffani! Get over here and help us!”
I ran to Deek’s side and placed my hand on the sides of his waist, wrapping my arms around him so he would know I was near. It seemed to help, but I knew if the others released him, he would once more lunge for the councilor.
“Gods, that man has lost control. The fever has made him a madman!” Engel was lying on his back on the floor, his arms raised to defend himself. A small cut was on his brow, but I had no idea how he’d gotten it since Deek hadn’t actually punched him.
Tia dropped to her knees beside her father, worry on her face, but looked to Deek with a mixture of horror and sadness. “This can’t be happening.” Her gaze drifted to mine and I stared her down, daring her to repeat the nonsense about Deek not being mine. He was mine. Mine!
Dax stood between Deek and Engel, pushing Deek back with all of his strength.
I didn’t care about Engel, only for Deek. The beast seethed and raged. Sweat dripped from his face and his eyes. God, his eyes were wild. My Deek was no longer there, only the beast.
“Deek,” Dax said. “Commander.”
Deek growled at the last, trying to break past the beast to find his voice.
“Commander,” Dax repeated. “Stand down.”
“Mine,” Deek growled. “Mate.”
The beast did not like the idea of me not actually being his mate. While it made me feel good to know the beast was so adamant about me belonging to him, I knew this little interlude meant trouble for Deek.
“That warlord has lost all control!” Engel shouted. “You saw him. You saw what he did.”
He spoke to the guests and they nodded their heads, watching as Deek still fought for control over his beast. The mating fever was known by all and easily recognized. Hell, I’d been on Atlan a week and I knew what it looked like.