by Mina Carter
Jane whistled lowly. “What a fuckup. They do realize humanity couldn’t win against the Lathar. Right?”
“You’d think. Wouldn’t you.” Kenna replied absently, her attention hijacked as a new figure appeared in the small group around the emperor. As tall and heavily muscled as Daaynal himself, his short, dirty-blond hair stood out among a sea of darker, long-haired warriors.
Xaandril, the emperor’s champion.
He scrubbed up well, his leathers clean and polished. Unlike a lot of the warriors in the room, he didn’t wear a sash across his broad chest. They were worn to signify what role the warrior held aboard the ship he was stationed to. Xaandril didn’t wear one because he wasn’t assigned to any one ship. Warriors nearby gave the group a wide berth when he glared at them.
“Still hankering after tall, blond and growly?”
Jane jostled her lightly in the ribs and she realized Karryl had wandered off, talking with a pair of warriors a short distance away. She and her former boss were alone in the middle of the crowded room. A sigh escaped Kenna as she snuck another glance over at the handsome champion.
“Yeah. Still doesn’t seem to notice the fact I’m bloody female though,” she groused lightly, trying not to let it get to her.
Xaandril blew hot and cold. One moment she was sure he liked her and was about to finally kiss her. The next he treated her the same as any of the younger warriors aboard. She never knew where she stood with him.
“Men,” Jane snorted. “No matter the species, no telling what goes through their heads. Tell him and if he doesn’t feel the same, walk away.”
2
Kenna was at the ball. In a dress.
Those two thoughts blocked everything else out of Xaan’s mind, not allowing any others to form. He stood next to the emperor, aware that he should be listening to the conversation going on, but all he could do was nod dumbly as he snuck glances across the room.
She was utterly beautiful. The deep scarlet of her dress highlighted the perfection of her creamy skin, offset by the dark hair swept up into an arrangement of curls atop her head. He loved her hair, a deep, rich color full of browns and reds he’d never seen before.
The arch of her delicate neck as she leaned closer to the woman with her reminded him for a moment of his long dead mate, Laryssa. She’d been beautiful and delicate, and he’d thought himself madly in love with her. Perhaps he had been, but any pain of her passing was gone, and now she was just a memory from his past. What he felt for the human woman, a warrior like him, was sharp and immediate—stronger than anything he could ever remember feeling for Laryssa.
He hadn’t acted on his feelings though. He’d been going to after the tournament when she'd given him the ribbon he still wore around his wrist, but he’d ended up in the battle that had nearly killed him. Recovery had been long and hard, and he’d been convinced that a woman like Kenna, a warrior in her own culture, would never want a male who was less than a man.
But Daaynal’s words earlier weighed on his mind, and a sideways glance confirmed that yes, his friend had realized why Xaan wasn’t participating in the conversation. Something about the acting commander of the Veral’vias wanting to head off to infiltrate a Terran prison facility to get back the former human vice president… he didn’t know why she was there, nor why she’d been removed from her previous position because he wasn’t following the conversation.
Instead, his attention was on the warrior swaggering across the room. His destination was obvious. Kenna and her companion, Karryl K’Vass’s mate, were the only two females in that area of the room. He sucked a breath in, irritation tensing all his muscles as he mentally urged the warrior, move along draanthic. Nothing for you there.
Lathar weren’t telepathic though and the warrior continued to make a beeline for the two women. Kenna turned and looked up at him, her expression rapt as he said something. Then the brightest smile spread across her beautiful face and Xaan gritted his teeth to keep from punching something.
But it got worse. Kenna nodded and put her hand on the warrior’s arm before he led her out onto the dance floor. Jealousy hit Xaan hard and fast, the growl starting in the center of his chest before he could stop it. Excusing himself from the emperor’s presence with a small bow, he strode across the ballroom, intercepting them before they reached the dance floor.
“My dance, I believe,” he growled, barely recognizing his own voice. His glare was all for the other male, ignoring Kenna for a moment, as he stepped closer and used his bigger frame to intimidate. It was a dick move, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want the other male… any other male touching her. Not as long as he drew breath.
“General,” the other warrior sensibly decided retreat was the better part of valor and ceded the field, nodding to Kenna. “Perhaps another time, my lady.”
Over my dead body. Xaan barely managed to restrain the urge to follow the male and throw him into a challenge circle, and he half-turned to see Kenna watching him with a curious expression. He didn’t trust himself to speak so he simply held out a hand. She was his, but he wouldn’t force her to do anything. If she wanted to be with him, she had to make the decision.
Reality narrowed down to just the two of them as her gaze flicked from his face down to his hand and back again. An emotion he couldn’t name flittered in the backs of her eyes, gone before he could identify it, and she reached out. He sucked in a hard breath, a tingle going through his body at the first touch of her delicate fingers against his.
She was a warrior of her own people, fearsome and capable. Hells, the first time he’d seen her, she’d had the muzzle of a pistol pressed against a warrior’s skull because he’d threatened her friend. But in that moment all his instincts told him she was delicate and female, his to protect.
Fingers closing around hers, he led her onto the dance floor. Silence charged with awareness swelled between them as he turned and pulled her close. She fit perfectly, her slender body nestled against his larger one as though she’d been made by the lady goddess to be there. To be his.
They shared a breath as his hand spread over her lower back, the touch far closer to a caress than any he’d given her before. They’d never danced, he realized. They’d trained together, yes, up to his injury… but he’d never held her in his arms like he was now. Chest to chest, his hand held her captive against him. His other hand held hers, her fingers so slender and delicate against his.
A shudder rolled down his spine at the way she rested trustingly against him. She was so strong, but he could snap her in two without breaking a sweat. It made him feel like the ravening beast he was, especially where she was concerned. Trying to keep his mind off how she’d feel pressed against him naked, he turned them into the first steps of the dance.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, curiosity on her beautiful, heart-shaped face. “Run that warrior off. He only wanted to dance.”
The answer was simple. “Dancing leads to thoughts of other things. So if you’re dancing, you’re dancing with me.”
There, it was out. The feeling of possessiveness, that she was his and his alone, that he’d harbored close to his heart for so long.
Her face was unreadable. “So you’ve decided it then? What if I want to dance with someone else?”
“Then you’ll be responsible for bloodshed. Do you want that?”
“What if I want to dance with Daaynal?” She arched an eyebrow and answered a question with a question, a quirk in her lips that said she thought she’d won the argument.
He didn’t try to stop the growl as he pulled her closer, his hand spreading out over the back of her hips. “Why? You have an eye on being empress now? Because if it comes to you, that match only ends one way.”
For her, he’d take on anyone… even his oldest friend.
Her eyes widened at the growled declaration, and her breath hitched in the most delightful way. Hiding a small smile, he swept her out of the ballroom on the next turn and into one of the darkened corridors th
at surrounded it.
“Too crowded in there,” he murmured to her puzzled look. It was a blatant excuse. He just wanted her to himself for a while. Her little smile as his steps slowed said she saw right through him.
He slowed in the darkest part of the corridor until they were doing little more than swaying together to the soft music that filtered out from the ballroom.
“You look…”
Draanth. When had it gotten so difficult to talk to a female? He didn’t remember courting being this nerve racking. It was like his brain had short-circuited and all he could do was look down at her in awe. Quite why she was out here with a scarred old warrior like him, he didn’t know, but she wasn’t fighting to get away, so he’d take it.
And whatever else she was willing to give him.
“I look what?” she asked, her voice a soft murmur as she looked up at him. His attention was hijacked by the soft brush of her fingers against his shoulder and for a moment he wished he wasn’t in full uniform. He wanted to feel her touch against his skin there.
“Beautiful.”
He managed to get his thoughts in order finally and was rewarded with a burst of pleasure in her dark eyes along with a soft smile. Normally she was hard-bitten and sassy, giving him cheek right on back when he growled, so the hint of a softer side to her got to him on levels he hadn’t expected.
Her hand slid up to the side of his neck as she lifted on her toes, lips parted in invitation. His thought processes cut off, his body reacting on pure instinct as his free hand brushed her cheek and buried itself in her hair. He leaned down.
The sound of someone clearing their throat froze them both in place.
“Errr… General? The emperor requests your presence.”
Xaan sighed, closing his eyes for a second.
Cock-blocked by the emperor himself.
Great. Just draanthing great.
* * *
“We’ll be right there.”
All Kenna’s feminine instincts howled in frustration at the interruption. Xaan had nearly kissed her. So nearly kissed her that she’d almost felt the brush of his lips against hers. So nearly kissed her that she physically ached and had to bite back her moan when he pulled away.
Their gazes caught and held. Her heart skipped a beat at the heat in his eyes. Like all Lathar, his eyes were cat-like, but at the moment his pupils were dilated so much he almost looked human.
He hadn’t let her go, the hard arm around her waist pulling her up against him. She knew he was fit, ripped even… but knowing that and seeing that was very different from being pressed up close and personal against him.
“We have to go,” he murmured, his voice deeper than she’d ever heard it before. It did things to her on a primal level, ones that heated her blood and should be illegal. Leaning down, he surprised her by nuzzling his nose against hers in a soft, sexy little movement. “But hold that thought.”
He let her go. She missed the heat of his body against hers instantly, and was forced to bite back a pout of disappointment. He smiled as though he could read her thoughts and slid his hand down her arm to capture her hand in his.
The unexpected possessive gesture silenced her as they followed the warrior through the corridors toward the war room. Unusually, it was mostly empty. Only Daaynal sat at the large table, a frown on his face as he read from what looked like a thin sheet of plastic—a flex-pad probably linked to the ship’s database.
He looked up as they entered the room and nodded to them. “General. Lady Kenna.” His gaze flittered down to their linked hands but he didn’t comment, just motioned to the table. “Please. Sit.”
“What’s this about?” Xaan asked as he pulled a seat out for Kenna and made sure she was settled before taking the one next to her. His tone was level but she caught the irritation and frustration hidden there. Mostly because she shared them. What could be so important that the emperor had called him out of a formal function?
“The bridge crew informed me of some strange readings,” Daaynal said, pushing not one, but two pads over the table.
“What kind of readings?” Xaan asked, picking his pad up and studying it with interest. “Surely the bridge crew can handle this?”
Kenna picked up the one that came to a stop in front of her. It flickered on to show a star chart on one side and numbers on the other. It was in Latharian, the geometric writing not making much sense to her. A quick scan of the page revealed a small symbol in the top corner.
She suppressed a grin, recognizing the Latharian symbol for danger overlaid onto a female figure. Someone had a sense of humor. She agreed. Human women were dangerous. Far more than the Latharians had been prepared for.
Pressing the symbol, she waited for a second as the pad reconfigured itself to display in English. Then she frowned and looked up at Daaynal.
“This is one of the outer colony systems, Delta Orellius… It’s a bit off the beaten track. Only the more extreme colonists head out that way.”
She’d listened to her uncle rabbit on and on about the region after the woman he’d wanted to marry upped and joined an expedition to Delta Orellius years before she was born. To hear him tell it, the place was filled with extreme doomsday preppers and survivalist nutjobs.
Daaynal nodded, and she knew the information had been filed away. She liked that about the Latharian emperor. He could have been totally up himself and arrogant, yet he was anything but. He listened to everyone, from the most highly decorated general right down to the lowliest warrior, and nothing got past him, not even the smallest detail.
“We knew it was a Terran-held system, which is why the bridge crew flagged it. The readings are not typical for that kind of system, nor are they Terran in origin.”
“Oh?” Kenna sat forward in interest. “What kind of readings are they then?”
“They’re not sure.” Xaan frowned, reading through the information on the data-pad. “The results don’t match up with anything in our databases. Used to be a science officer,” he added by way of explanation and then smiled at her look of surprise. “Before I realized war was my calling.”
“Oh. Of course.” Kenna sat back in surprise. She’d spent so long thinking of him as the war veteran general, hero of his people, that she’d never considered he’d been a warrior before he’d become Daaynal’s champion. But he must have been. He must have served aboard a ship somewhere, and the last time she checked, “future general” wasn’t a job opening.
“A man of many talents,” she commented with a smile.
“Don’t tell him that. He’ll get a fat head and we won’t get him through the door,” Daaynal chuckled. “But he is quite right. The aratak and evistron levels are off the charts, which is unusual for a system with a Treaniis class star like this one. No evidence of faster-than-light engines, which could account for the levels, so it’s not non-Terran ships.”
She shook her head. “No, there wouldn’t be… Delta Orellius is an old system, charted back in the early days of colonization. Back then they would have used sleeper ships. It takes months to get new blood and supplies out there even now.”
“No unusual frequencies either?”
Xaan pursed his lips as Daaynal shook his head. “I had them rerun the scans twice. Same results.”
The big champion grunted and sat back in his chair. “Send a ship to investigate. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Daaynal twirled his stylus between his fingers like a street magician with a coin. “Just what I thought. However, considering the current state of affairs with the Terrans, I don’t wish to split the fleet.”
Xaan shrugged. “Send a long-range scout. Doesn’t need to be a warship to get eyes on.”
Kenna looked from one to the other, sure there was a conversation going on she wasn’t privy to.
“Exactly what I was thinking. You’ll take the Jerri’tial. If you leave tonight you can be in system within… seventy-two hours.”
“Wait… what? Me? I can’t go.”
Xaan glared across the table while Kenna hid her grin. It was easy to see the two were friends. No one else would dare speak to the warrior emperor that way.
“Of course you can. You are.” Daaynal’s voice was firm, an edge of amusement in his eyes as he slid a glance at Kenna. “Take the good lady here. It’s Terran space, so by all rights you should have a representative with you.”
“He does have a point.” Kenna turned to Xaan. “I was born on a colony very similar to the ones in the system. I know how they work. How their systems work… in case we have a problem. Not that we’ll have any problems,” she added quickly.
“See?” Daaynal grinned and flicked his hair from his face as he leaned back in his chair. “Perfect solution. Take the Jerri’tial, and report back what you find.”
3
Traveling in a space ship on a super-secret mission had sounded so exciting. In reality, it sucked. Big donkey balls sucked. With a sigh, Kenna leaned her head back against the seat and watched Xaan at the pilot’s console.
“If you’re tired,” he said without taking his eyes from the screen in front of him, “you should go and get some sleep. We still have a long journey ahead of us.”
“I’m not tired,” she said quickly, turning to the side and bringing her knees up to curl up in the copilot’s seat.
She could watch him forever. For such a big man, his movements were filled with an economic grace that she found fascinating. He’d stopped wearing the arm-sling a while back, but she knew the bad shoulder still bothered him. Not that he’d ever mention any discomfort, especially to her. He was the least talkative guy she knew, of any species. But over the months she’d been with the Lathar, she’d learned to read his moods. In a way.
“Besides,” she added with a look back into the main cabin of the ship. “It’s empty.”
