I took her again, reveled in her eager welcome, her soft sighs and cries of pleasure. And when I knew my seed filled her, my medallions marked her as mine, and the soft glow on her face would shout to one and all her contentment with her mate, I took her back to civilization, eager to show her our home in the capital city of Xalia.
I pulled a long, cream-colored dress from the supplies I’d left here in preparation and draped the soft fabric over her naked form. The piercings in her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric and my chest swelled with pride at the vision she presented. Her soft, golden hair hung loose and wild around her shoulders. Her fair skin practically glowed above the neckline of the gown, and her eyes, those eyes, looked at me with complete trust and devotion. I dared to believe that, perhaps, my mate had grown to love me in such a short time.
Pulling her along, I strode from the oasis with her by my side. A contingent of my personal guards, Byran among them, stood at attention on all sides of the oasis, ensuring both our privacy and safety.
“Councilor.” Byran bowed slightly, a frown on his brow. “I did not wish to disturb you, but there have been reports of Drovers on the fringe of the territory. We believe they are massing for an attack.”
Natalie stiffened and stepped closer, pressing herself to my side, instinctively trusting me to protect and shelter her. Her trust made my heart ache, even as the Drover threat made my blood rage. The Drovers had not dared attack an outpost in years, instead attacking traveling caravans or small parties, like the raiders and pirates they were. Scum.
“Gather the men. We must eliminate this threat before we can go home. We will not leave the outpost unprotected.”
“Yes, sir.” Byran motioned to half a dozen of my men who ran after him to reach the others, warriors stationed strategically around the outpost. I was at Outpost Two, as were three tribal chiefs from my territory. All told, we had a force of no more than two hundred men. I prayed it would be enough.
I looked down at my mate as another seven of my most trusted warriors surrounded us. “Don’t worry, mate. The Drovers cannot reach you here.”
“What are Drovers?” Her eyes had grown dark with worry and I longed to replace the expression with the one she’d had earlier. Longing. Trust. Love. Those were the only emotions I wanted to see in those beautiful pale eyes.
A guard handed me my sword and an ion blaster. Forced to release my mate long enough to strap the weapons securely to my waist, I missed her warmth instantly. “Come, mate. I will explain all in due time. For now, I will take you to the transport center. You will be safe there, with the doctor, while I deal with these invaders.”
We’d taken two steps when the first explosions roared through camp, their blasts loud as a desert sandstorm. But there was no sand…only fire.
Chapter Seven
Natalie
I followed Roark from the oasis, his large hand around mine was firm, but warm and gentle. My insides were so scrambled I couldn’t process all the emotion running through my body. The connection between us was instant, and so powerful that I couldn’t even look at him now without my heart racing. He’d been dominant and demanding, fucking me like a caveman, even tugging on my hair. But then he turned into a gentle giant and nearly ripped my heart into pieces with his tenderness.
He was everything I’d ever dreamed of in bed. I had high hopes that he’d be everything I dreamed of out of it as well.
We emerged from the oasis and I knew from the heat in my cheeks that I blushed as his soldiers stood at attention. They each inspected me with open curiosity, but I did my best to ignore them. I would not behave in any way to bring dishonor to my mate, so I held my head high, thrust my chest forward proudly, the chain and medallions, the mark of Roark’s family, clearly visible through the thin fabric of my dress. The weight tugged at my nipples constantly, teasing me with sensation and leaving my in a never-ending state of arousal.
Not that I minded. I had a feeling all it would take was one look from me and I’d be on my hands and knees with my wild lover filling me from behind any time I wanted.
Dozens of tents sprawled in the middle of the desert landscape as if they’d popped into existence from nothing. They clumped around the center tent, the largest where—Roark had pointed out—the transport station was hidden. Beyond the edges of the outpost I saw nothing but sand for miles in every direction with an occasional dark smudge of what I assumed was a hearty bush or rock. On my right, just beyond the edge of camp, a rock formation rose from the middle of the desert like sentinels watching over the outpost. A slight breeze kept me from feeling miserable in the heat, a trail of sand clearly visible where the wind pushed the small grains around the edges of the rocks.
A wind block, then? Did the wind usually come from that direction? And what direction was it? I had no idea.
The world was alien and strange, but oddly beautiful. I felt like I’d stepped into the pages of a fairy-tale adventure. Arabian Nights. I glanced up at the sky, noting that their large sun was fully overhead, the soft yellow glow warm and welcome on my bare arms. But on the horizon, newly rising, a dark red sun climbed in the sky and I wondered what they called it. I’d never seen a red sun before, and I wondered if it would feel hot when it blazed its brightest overhead. Roark had said there were two moons as well, but he’d kept me too busy to notice them.
“Councilor.” One of his men bowed slightly. He was tall and dark, as they all were, and had a furrowed brow. He was younger than Roark by perhaps a decade. “I did not wish to disturb you, but there have been reports of Drovers on the fringe of the territory. We believe they are massing for an attack.”
I stepped closer to Roark. Their talk of an attack made me nervous, but Roark’s huge bulk made me feel safe. As did the presence of a dozen more equally massive and well-armed males. Each of them was at least six foot six with a wicked-looking sword on one hip and some kind of silver, space gun on the other. I had no idea what a Drover was, nor did I care. Not right now. I only worried that Roark might be injured while fighting them.
My mate looked down at me as his men surrounded us in a cocoon of protection. “Don’t worry, mate. The Drovers cannot reach you here.” He looked calm and completely in control. I believed him, the tension in my body retreating to a manageable level. This was his world, not mine. I would have to trust him. But that didn’t mean I would remain ignorant of the threats around us.
“What are Drovers?”
“Come, mate.” He tugged on my hand. “I will explain everything in due time. For now, I will take you to the transport center. You will be safe there, with the doctor, while I deal with these invaders.”
Roark’s command spurred my feet into action. He’d given me soft sandals that sank into the white sand as I walked. It was warm underfoot, but not scorching hot. I took two steps when a bomb went off.
Before I knew what happened, I was on the ground, Roark’s massive frame covering me.
A wall of fire shot out overhead but disappeared in the blink of an eye. I heard screams and men shouting on the edge of camp, near the tall rocks.
I could barely breathe, and was abou
t to protest Roark’s heavy bulk when he lifted off me.