She scoffed. “I am not Coalition. We follow the code.”
“Witnessed and respected,” Styx and Blade said at the same time as they came out of nowhere. Jillela nodded at the leader of one of the other legions. It must have been a Rogue 5 thing. God, so confusing!
“I should have known you would be here,” she said to them, slowly shaking her head.
Styx gave her a casual shrug, as if they were friends instead of what seemed like enemies. “Perhaps with this scum gone, Styx Legion can once again conduct business with Cerberus.”
“Of course.” Jillela looked at Bahre. “Well, Warlord? I give you my word I will kill him myself.”
Bahre growled, clearly fighting himself. I didn’t know Helion, but his plan all along had been to get Cerberus and see him dead. He wouldn’t go through all this and let him go free. There was a reason Jillela was going to do the killing. I just didn’t know why.
It was over though. Cerberus was caught. He would no longer go after women. He’d be dead. Bahre had done his job. I was safe.
“Bahre, it’s okay,” I said. “Let Jillela have this one. Just get me out of here.” My voice sounded small and soft and very female after all the growling and posturing and grumbling that had been going on. The dead bodies on the floor were still bleeding, pools of blood forming and congealing around the edges, the smell not what I was expecting. There was blood, and then there was alien blood. The room reeked of it, but it didn’t have a metallic tang. It was too sweet and almost herbal. Like ginger or basil flavored blood. It was making me sick.
“Bahre.” He must have heard the distress in my voice. He turned, took one look at me, and threw Cerberus across the room. The alien’s back hit the wall at shoulder level before he slumped to the ground.
“Gods be damned, Bahre,” Helion protested.
Bahre shrugged. “I put him down.”
Jillela laughed. The other fanged Hyperion—the one who hadn’t been sliced dead with a sharp blade—stepped into my view for the first time as he leaned over Cerberus and checked him. He looked to Jillela. “He’s alive.”
“Not for long,” she vowed. She walked over to the fallen leader of her legion, then looked at her friend. Ally? Whatever he was. He pulled out a comm device and held it up. Jillela looked into the comm and spoke clearly and slowly. “Cerberus is dead by my hand. I am now Cerberus. Anyone who wishes to challenge me as legion leader is welcome to die.”
She pointed her weapon at Cerberus—the blue one barely conscious on the floor—and killed him with a head shot between the eyes. I gasped at the action. She looked back up into the camera. “I am Cerberus.”
She nodded at her friend, and he lowered the comm.
Holy shit. Brutal didn’t even come close. And she’d recorded it?
“Bahre.” I was so done with these people. I was going to have nightmares forever. “Bahre. Get me out of here. Please. Get me out of here now.”
Jillela had killed Cerberus to take his place. So now she was Cerberus. She stepped over the corpse, looked at the other two dead on the floor, and glanced up at Helion. “You’ll take care of the bodies?”
He inclined his head. “Of course. And do not forget, Jillela—”
She cut him off. “I am Cerberus.”
Helion nodded. “Apologies, Cerberus.”
“I pay my debts, Helion.” With that, she opened the door and she and her friend walked out of the room.
Four dead aliens in less than a day. The smell of their blood was growing stronger. The complete nonchalance of Helion’s team at what we’d just done was making it worse. Rett and Quinn had been called Elite Hunters. Bahre was a warlord. Helion was a doctor and some kind of commander in their intelligence branch. Styx and Blade were making deals with the brutal female who had just put a bullet or whatever it was space guns used in a guy’s head in cold blood, and she hadn’t reacted at all. These people were brutal. Crazy. Killers, even if they were the good guys. I was not cut out for this.
Outer space was not for me.
“Bahre.” I closed my eyes. I couldn’t look at any of them right now. “Get me out of here. I can’t—”
He knelt before me, his large frame blocking out everything and everyone. “Just look at me, mate. It’s over. We got him. I am going to get you out of here. Stay with me.”
* * *
Bahre
My mate opened her eyes, and I held her gaze. Willed her to trust me. Focus on me. I had not wanted her to be here, but she had insisted. I knew with certainty that this was more than she had been prepared to face. She knew Cerberus would die, but had no idea what it would be like. She was not a fighter. But she was brave. Strong. Looking at me as I’d asked her to do, trusting me to care for her.
We’d traveled halfway across the galaxy, and yet it had only been less than a day since I’d been in bed on Earth with her. Since we’d been happy. Replete.
I stayed on my knees before her, surveyed every inch of her petite body. Her green eyes glistened with tears. They slid down her cheeks uncontrolled. Her lip trembled.
“Bahre,” she whispered.
“Mate,” I replied. Behind me, I heard voices. Thumps. I didn’t care what was happening. It was my job to see her safe. It had not ended when Cerberus’s heart stopped. The former Cerberus. The others would deal with the situation now. I only had to focus on Quinn. They had my back. Tane was a warlord and worthy male. Helion was an ass, but he respected only one thing in the universe, the sacred bond of a mate. They would protect both of us from any unexpected attack while I cared for my brave, stubborn female.
She held up her hands, her wrists bound. I glanced down her body, saw that her ankles were tied to the front legs of the chair. I growled even as Rett, the Elite Hunter who had acted as her captor in Helion’s plan, shrugged at me. “Had to make it look real.”
My beast rose and growled at Rett.
“Bahre, it’s okay,” she said. “They don’t hurt.”
Irrelevant. I hated seeing them on her body, the physical proof of the danger she had willingly placed herself in.
“Knife,” I called. In seconds one appeared to my right. I took it, not acknowledging who’d provided it before I carefully slit her bonds. She then fell into me, her arms going around my neck, clinging to me as if she would never let go.
That was fine by me. I breathed her in, felt her warmth, her softness.
“Why did Jillela do that?” she murmured. “Why did she record it? That’s sick.”
Styx heard her question and answered. “This one was not good for his legion. Jillela is respected among the legion and will bring order to chaos. But to take command of Cerberus Legion, one must defeat the current leader, and that defeat must be witnessed.”
“Defeat or kill?” she asked.
“Is there a difference?” he countered.
“That’s barbaric.” Her hands were now free, and she rubbed her wrists. The moment her fingers came into contact with the mating cuffs, she calmed, took a deep breath, and smiled at me. “Thank you, mate.”
“He will threaten no more females,” I assured her as I removed the bindings from her ankles. She had been brave and accomplished her goal. She had defeated the leader of Cerberus Legion. And now she was free from that danger.
“Thank God.” Quinn moved off the chair and melted into my arms, content to allow me to hold her.
I pulled back enough so our eyes met. “Are you harmed?”
She shook her head, her hair sliding over her shoulders. “No. I’m fine. But do they all have to have fangs? I mean, I’ve seen movies but this is insane. There aren’t supposed to be vampires in space.” She buried her face in my chest. “And the smell of their blood. I can’t, Bahre. I just can’t.”
Her words came out in a ramble, completely unlike her usual cool composure. This was my mate at her most vulnerable. She was not harmed, but she was in shock. I stood, keeping her in my arms as I did so. She was so light, so easy to carry. I turned her head into my neck so
she wouldn’t have to look at any of the bodies as I walked past Helion.
“I resign, Commander Helion. Effective immediately.”
“I’ll comm you if I need you, Bahre.”
The fucking ass. I was not going to argue with the asshole while my mate was in my arms. He would discover just how serious I was about devoting myself to caring for my female if he did contact me in the future.
I didn’t bother saying goodbye to the others. The Hunters hunted. Cerberus Legion had a new leader. Styx Legion had a new ally and business partner. Helion had what he wanted as well.
“What happened to the blue lady?” Quinn mumbled the question. “The one who was going to meet Lukabo before?”
Rett answered. Damn Hunter hearing. “She is one of the dead, my lady.” Rett pointed to one of the bodies on the floor.
“That is a very large female,” Quinn replied. I understood her confusion. Ulza had been large, muscled, and rumored to be a merciless fighter.
“Yes. Mother of five sons.” Styx looked at Blade. “We are free to hunt Ulza’s sons without repercussions. I have made my own deal with Jillela.”
Blade looked pleased. “Her eldest attempted to purchase the human female from Trion? At Omega Dome?”
“Yes.”
Blade scowled. “Our mate will not like that.”
Styx chuckled. “No, she will demand his head on a platter.”
“Then we shall deliver.”
“Always underestimate you two, do I not?” Helion asked.
I ignored them all and carried my mate out into the corridor and back to our suite. I was done with all of them. The only one who mattered to me now was in my arms. And I was never going to let her go.
14
Bahre, Three Weeks Later, Earth
My mate looked around our new home with huge, round eyes.
“Bahre? Is this a joke?”
“Do you disapprove? I was told by Ellen and Linda that you would like these quarters.”
She walked around the large house I had purchased as a gift for her, and tears came to her eyes. “This is too much.”
Gods be damned. I’d made her cry. This was not the reaction I had been hoping for. I’d asked my Atlan brothers to find quarters worthy of my mate and near her work. Tane, Iven, and Egon had enlisted the aid of Quinn’s friends, two females she worked with, Ellen and Linda. I had contacted the ruling council on Atlan, asked Dr. Helion to make things happen, and within days my wealth had been transferred to Earth and converted to human money. I would give it all to her. Every credit.
“This house is huge. How can you afford this?” She turned to look at me, her high-heeled shoes a dark blue, her dress soft and clingy and the same color with almost imperceptible white stripes. She looked like a queen with her hair piled high on her head and the new Atlan choker I’d ordered delivered. The choker was thick and matched the mating cuffs exactly. I had requested dangling items for her ears as well, as she seemed to like those. She loved to be adorned, and I would see to it she remained that way. I liked the adornments upon her, especially when she wore nothing else.
She looked regal. Beautiful. And confused.
“I am sorry, mate. We can choose another home. Whatever you want is yours.” Was my voice shaking? Fuck.
Fear. I was afraid, terrified that this beautiful, perfect female would wake up, come to her senses, and now that she was back on Earth, run. I was no young, innocent male. I was a killer. A warrior. She’d seen what my missions had been like. Endured one. She’d witnessed the execution of a Rogue 5 leader. Met Elite Hunters in the thick of a conquest. She even knew the leader of the Coalition’s IC personally.
My body bore the scars of battle, as did my soul. She knew I was marked by death inside and out. And Quinn? She was beauty and compassion. Acceptance and light, the laughter and hope my broken soul thirsted for.
She was perfect. Brave. Intelligent. Perhaps my lovely mate did not need me at all. She may wear my cuffs, but what if she wished to remove them?
She had not wanted to remain in space. I didn’t blame her for wanting to be away from Transport Station Zenith, but she did not want to go to Atlan or The Colony either. Her time on the transport station had seen to that. The knowledge that Rogue 5 factions existed, that the Intelligence Core existed, that evil like the now-dead leader of Cerberus existed? She had wanted to feel safe and be on familiar ground.
She’d wanted to go home. And where my mate wanted to be, I would go as well. She was my home.
Warden Egara had contacted the Interstellar Brides Processing Center administration, and they had approved my transfer to the security team here in Miami within the hour. I was going to live on Earth. Permanently.
Unless this stupid house I’d bought for my female drove her away from me.
“Bahre?”
I blinked down at her, lost in my worry. “Yes, love?”
“You’re a soldier. How can you afford this house? I don’t understand.”
I shook my head. “I am not a soldier. I am a warlord with over a decade of Coalition service. I was a commander in the Intelligence Core.”
She walked to me and took my hands in hers. I lifted them to my lips, kissed her knuckles.
“Our soldiers don’t make this kind of money.”
I was not familiar with the value of human credits. The house was what she deserved, but clearly expensive.
“Are you telling me, this is all from serving in the war?”
I nodded. “Yes. Many Atlans do not return from the front lines. We are always first on the ground, first to fight. Those the Hive doesn’t kill on the battlefield are usually lost to mating fever. I survived. Those who survive are rewarded by their people.”
She frowned, her smooth forehead marred with her confusion. “You didn’t die, so now you’re rich?”
When she put it that way, it did sound odd. I shrugged. “Yes. The human bank Ellen took me to see was ecstatic when the transfers came through. The manager said I was a billionaire.”
Her mouth fell open as if I’d shocked her. “What?”
It was my turn to frown. “Is that bad? I can give the credits away or send the funds back to Atlan.”
She was laughing now, her head thrown back and the sound coming from her throat pure joy. “Oh, no you don’t! We can give some away to those in need, of course, but after you come to understand your value.” She leaped into my arms and kissed me, hard, on the mouth. “I cannot believe this house. I can’t believe you. This is crazy.”
My arms were around her now, and I tightened my grip. “Crazy is good?”
She kissed me softly this time, and my beast settled, as did I. She could tame me with a touch, my mate. I thanked the gods for her every second of every day. “Crazy is definitely good.”
Pleased with myself now, my beast strutted around in my chest, wanting out to play. Which meant, he wanted to take our mate up against the wall and make her scream with pleasure, but I was enjoying her reaction too much to let him have his way.
At least, not yet.
I had her in my hold, and that was what mattered. She had not been out of my sight since the incident on Transport Station Zenith. Not because of the cuffs, but because we were both still wary. It was not a hardship to be beside her constantly. Far from it.
Quinn took my hand and pulled me along behind her as she explored the house. The entire place was decorated and furnished in what Ellen had insisted my mate would like. She had hired an entire team of people to decorate and giggled like a small child when I gave her the small piece of plastic the banking man had given me after I opened my Earth accounts.
A credit card, it was called. I didn’t understand it, which meant Quinn was right. I needed to learn Earth’s monetary system.
“Ellen hired a team of people to decorate, but you may change anything you wish.”
She sighed as she spun in a circle. “Bahre, this is beautiful. I can’t believe this. I just can’t.” We ended our tour in the largest b
edroom, and my mate gasped with delight when she peeked into the connecting bathing room and saw the Atlan-sized tub. She glanced over her shoulder at me and kicked off her shoes.
My beast, and my cock, came to immediate attention.
“Should we break in the bathtub?” she asked. “You do take baths on Atlan, don’t you?”
The tub in her current home was too small for me so I’d used only her shower tube.
My cock pulsed at the idea of her lush, curved body sinking into a warm bath, of licking the moisture from her breasts, her pussy. I wanted to run my soap-slicked hands over every curve and hollow.
I could barely speak, and I had to clear my throat. “Yes. We have baths.”
Her smile was pure invitation as she turned her back to me. She glanced at me over her shoulder through those red lashes. “Can you get my zipper?”
I bungled and grasped at the tiny metal thing with my huge fingers, but I would see her naked. That determination saved me from failure as I carefully slid the zipper down her back and over the curve of her ass.
Gods. Fuck. She was wearing the lace underthings she preferred. Which I loved. Today they were dark blue to match her dress, the G-string—an Earth term I’d quickly learned and had a fond appreciation for—gave me the perfect view of her ass as she stepped out of the dress and bent over to start the warm water flowing into the tub.
I practically swallowed my tongue at the sight.
I had no doubt now that my mate was inviting me to claim her, to bury my hard cock in her soft body, to lick the water from her skin.
She looked over her shoulder once more, the fingers of one hand under the running water, testing the temperature. An auburn brow winged up, the corner of her mouth tipping up into an alluring smile. “You going to take your clothes off?”
Fuck. Maybe she was claiming me.
My mate. “Mine.” The beast spoke the word, and she knew it, wiggling her bottom a little to tease me into hurrying.
The extra temptation was not necessary. I was barely holding on to control.
Beauty and the Beast: Interstellar Brides® Program: The Beasts - 3 Page 13
