“Why?”

I had feeling I knew what could have disturbed Gahn Irokai so much as to require a meeting of the Gahns. It had to be related to Zeezee’s people. I felt a muscle twitch at the base of my tail. I longed to go to her, even now. To check on her, make sure she was safe.

Though Gahn Irokai had seemed to be in a rush before, now that it was time to explain himself, he faltered, taking several deep breaths then halting before speaking. Finally, he said, “It will be better if Taliok speaks to our purpose, if you will hear him.”

“This is agreeable,” I muttered, shifting my focus to the brooding young warrior.

Taliok did not move to speak, his jaw drawn tight. But a grunt from his Gahn shifted him to action. His voice was low and dark.

“Some days ago the Lavrika called me to the pools.”

I tensed, and felt Galok’s tail twitch.

“The mate I saw there was like no woman of the Sea Sands. Like no creature of Zaphrinax. She had no tail, no claws, and terrible white eyes.”

So it was as I had thought. It was to do with the new women. I hadn’t known one of Gahn Irokai’s men had travelled to the pools. The Cliffs of Uruzai were considered neutral territory, accessible to all the people of the Sea Sands. Much of the open sands between the mountains and the cliffs were also neutral territory – too dangerous and barren to bother fighting to claim. My patrolling parties would not have seen Taliok come that way, and would not have bothered him on the way to the Cliffs, anyway. I waited in silence, absorbing this information and allowing Taliok more time to speak if he had more to say. But it appeared he did not. He lapsed back into frowning silence.

I mulled this over as everyone watched me. Did I admit everything now? That I, too, had seen, and had now found, my strange mate? There would be instant suspicion at the fact that I had not tried to call a meeting of the Gahns the way Irokai had. I suddenly thought back to my warriors’ confusion at my order to guard the healers’ tent, indicating that Galok had not shared the news of the new women yet. It seems we both want to keep these pale and precious creatures to ourselves.

But such a thing would be impossible, now. Perhaps even now the men of the other tribes were seeing their mates in the Lavrika Pools.

This complicates things.

I would have to tell Gahn Irokai everything. Start to finish. At least now I have a potential ally to take the other women back from Gahn Fallo. If his closest man has a mate among them, Gahn Irokai will no doubt lend warriors to our purpose. I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him of my own pretty mate, when a sudden commotion crashed outside. Warriors were shouting, and then came a sound so bright and sharp it burned: the scream of my mate.

I was up and moving instantly, my guests forgotten. I was only slightly aware of Gahn Irokai asking me something and Taliok jumping up and drawing his weapons. They would have to wait. They would all have to wait until I made sure my Zeezee was alright.

Outside, a group of warriors had gathered in a circle. At the centre was one of the warriors I’d assigned to the healers’ tent, Teelk. One of his arms held Zeezee firmly against his body. The other held a blade to her throat.

I was not known as a rash or vicious Gahn. Brutal in battle, yes, and a fierce warrior. But I was not insane, not like Gahn Fallo. In that moment, though, seeing that blade against Zeezee’s incredible skin, her slender pulsing throat, I felt all sanity slip away. A sky-tearing cry exploded from my chest, and then I was running, men parting before me in confused terror at my rage. Galok shouted something from behind me, but I ignored him, yanking a blade from my back. Teelk stood stock still, frozen in confusion, as Zeezee kicked and fought his embrace. This was one of my men, one of my own warriors. And in that moment I did not care. His hands on her, his weapon at her neck, made me so sick with black anger that I was ready to tear him apart. I raised my blade, snarling -

- only to have it knocked away by another blade. I whirled, finding Taliok in my way.

Gahn Irokai broke into the circle, calling to his man. “Taliok, answer me now. Is this the female you saw in the pools? Is this your mate?”

I could have taken Taliok’s life for the disrespect he’d just shown me, and I bared my fangs, raising my blade again. My warriors gnashed their teeth, drawing their own weapons. Gahn Irokai and his men had come in peace, but they would leave covered in blood.

At that moment, Zeezee gave a small cry, managing to wriggle out of Teelk’s arms, his grip grown slack with confusion and shock. She ran to me, to me, her soft body colliding against mine, her arms wrapping around my waist. I clutched her protectively against my side, holding my knife up against Taliok. Taliok’s sight stars drew in to focused points as he stared at us, his gaze moving back and forth between my face and Zeezee’s. After a tense moment, he sheathed his blade.

He answered Gahn Irokai. “Now that I see her closer, I know she is not my mate. But she is of the same people.” Then he spoke to me. “I thought you drew your blade to harm her. That you saw her as an enemy.”

“She is no enemy,” I growled, pulling her tighter.

It was time. The news could wait no longer.

“She is my mate.”

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER ELEVEN Cece

Can someone please explain how I have ended up here?

OK, I knew how I’d ended up grabbed by yet another alien gladiator-looking dude. At least, sort of. The guy had been assigned to watch me, clearly. And clearly, I hadn’t been as stealthy as I had thought, sneaking out of the other side of the tent.

Yeah, it probably wasn’t a great idea to try to leave the tent. But what choice did I have? Just sit there like some princess in a tower waiting for my hunky alien with three fucking tongues to come back and bed me? No way. I’d seen that monster cock. That was not going to happen.

I’d stayed in the tent a long time after Buroudei had left, partly in shock, and partly because I was pretty sure I’d never walk again after that orgasm. I was in shock that it had even happened, for one thing, and that he had left so quickly afterwards. At some point, though, my curiosity got the better of me, and I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore. Not to mention the fact that I still needed to try to get back to the wreckage for supplies, and try, somehow, to find my friends. If there was anything left of them.

My clothes were stiff with dried blood and sweat, but Rika had left a tunic-like garment, similar to the one she’d worn, by my bed. I’d put in on, and had had to hold back a laugh at how insanely huge it was on me. This species sure wasn’t lacking in the height department. Or girth. Oh, God.

When I’d crept to the main flap of the tent I’d seen the two hulking warrior dudes waiting right outside, armed to the teeth. Or, fangs, in this case. There was no way I would have made it out that way. So I’d gone back to the other side, pulling up at one of the walls of the tent and crawling out under it, burrowing through the sand as I did so. I didn’t know if they heard me or smelled me or what, but I’d only made it a little ways before one of them yelped a warning, and the other one had caught up to me in about two seconds flat.

And that was how I’d ended up here, screaming my head off as yet another alien refused to let me go.

But this felt different. This wasn’t my alien. This wasn’t the one I knew. The one I sort of trusted now. The one I maybe kind of actually liked. And when this alien’s gigantic blade came up to hover under my chin, I felt the difference between them keenly.