by Vi Voxley
"Do you like them?" he asked.
"They're delicious," Zoey said, taking another bite, "like my mother used to make."
For a moment, a genuine smile flashed on Daegon's face, but then it was gone. Zoey was surprised at how much she immediately missed that look. The warlord's features, now cold and hard again, had been so alive for that one second. She desperately wanted to see it again.
Getting sidetracked already. Not a great start for you indeed.
Reminding herself that she had come with a task, after all, Zoey finished her pie and looked at the Corgan seriously.
"Now," she said, trying to be as fearless as her words. "Will you tell me how I insulted you? Then we can move on."
Daegon gave her a hard look, sitting down opposite her. Other than them, there was no one in the great hall. Zoey could hear her own voice echo back from the walls.
"You didn't," he said.
"You wanted honesty from me," Zoey replied. "I think it's only fair you respond with the same. I'm not stupid."
The warlord snorted, but the look in his eyes was less judgmental when he spoke.
"Why are you here?"
Trust me, you don't want to see my mission statement. Or rather, I don't want you to see it. If I can get Corgans to join the Union, it better count as a miracle.
"You know why," Zoey said, smiling. "I hoped we would get into that later when –"
"No," Daegon cut in. "Why are you here? Why you?"
A sharp tinge of disappointment shot through Zoey's body like a knife. She had to fight to not let any of it show on her face. Besides, how ridiculous it was to be concerned whether Daegon liked her or not.
Yet it was. Zoey didn't know why, but it mattered.
"I was tasked by the Galactic Union," she said.
"Did you ask for this job?" Daegon asked.
Zoey smiled.
"No," she admitted. "You should know what the Union thinks of Corgans. I can't say I volunteered to come here. In fact, many of my friends thought they were sending me on a suicide mission."
And there it was again, the bright light of humor shining in Daegon's eyes. The way his mouth curled into a pleased grin was the most seductive thing Zoey had ever experienced from a vicious warlord. It sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, having nothing to do with the temperature in the room or the danger she was undeniably in.
"I suppose that is fair," Daegon said and his voice lost the threatening edge. "So you didn't want to come?"
"I wouldn't say that," Zoey replied. "I could have refused."
"On what grounds? It's your duty, is it not?"
"Crippling terror."
Now Daegon laughed. He threw his head back and nearly roared, his mighty shoulders shaking as he did. The part of Zoey that was still focused on her task and not the incredible man opposite her was pleased. Amusing the clan lord was her best bet at making him warm up to her, short of warming his bed.
Good. Now we're getting somewhere.
A much larger part of her was completely taken with him. Daegon emanated raw power the like she had never encountered before. Being in the same room as him enveloped her entirely in his charisma and presence, strong and demanding. She felt herself tingling from head to toe, like a woman in love, as absurd as it was.
"That is a good one," Daegon said, turning his flashing eyes to her again. "I have to tell that to my brothers."
"Go ahead," Zoey said, inclining her head.
And like sun disappearing behind clouds, Daegon became serious again. His piercing gaze seemed to strip Zoey's very soul bare to him, but she refused to let him intimidate her. Mara had said he was no danger to her, she had to trust that.
"So why didn't you refuse?" the warlord asked. "You admitted it yourself. This is not a task you would have volunteered for."
Zoey answered his stare, thinking. It was blatant that playing games would get her nowhere with him. The only answer was to dig deep and figure out why she had accepted.
"I probably wouldn't have," she admitted. "That is true. When they offered me this, I could see that they didn't really believe that I would accept. Maybe that was what made me say yes. I don't know. I wanted to see Gaiya and I refused to let them think I'm a coward. So here I am."
The warlord leaned in closer, as if he could discern the truth like that. Zoey met his stormy gaze, allowing him to see that she had no reason to lie.
"I see," Daegon said. "That is very much like a Corgan. Are you sure there were no other reasons?"
"You mean why I was chosen for this task?"
When the warlord nodded mutely, Zoey shook her head, slightly surprised.
"Not that I know of," she said.
"You better not lie to me."
"What other reason could there be?" Zoey asked, honestly baffled.
She was beginning to wonder if despite his savageness, Daegon was smarter than he looked. Was he trying to confuse her?
Zoey had only just thought that when the warlord replied with a grin, "One of you already took down Nadar. It would make sense that they'd send another beauty to trick me. I warn you, it will not work."
Zoey didn't respond at once.
Funny. One word from a guy like that and I'm fucking 13 again.
She had to fight down a grin, thinking how close she'd come to losing all dignity and asking straight-out whether the warlord thought she was pretty. Which he clearly did.
So that is what he thought. No wonder, really. Corgans had no particular reason to trust the Union and tactics like the one Daegon had suggested weren't unheard of. The Union's council was fine with using all the weapons at their disposal, including those that didn't fire bullets.
"Now I'm flattered," she said, composing herself. "But that is not true. At least I can assure you that I am not under orders to seduce you."
"Pity."
This time, keeping the stupid smile off her face was considerably more difficult. Especially with the fact that the harshness on Daegon’s face had finally been replaced with the most maddening, sexy grin.
"And you?" Zoey shot back, trying to salvage what was left of their initial meeting.
"What about me?" the warlord inquired, his voice deep and sensuous.
"Are you trying to get me to bed so I would forget all about my task?" she asked, not believing the words were coming out of her mouth.
Well, he wanted honesty. That's what he gets.
"No," Daegon growled in a voice so low it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. "But that would be a great way to spend the time when we're not talking."
Fighting down all the various responses that flooded her mind to that thinly veiled proposal, Zoey smiled.
"I don't think so," she said, seeing with relief that her refusal didn't seem to upset the warlord. "But seriously speaking. We are a very odd duo to handle these negotiations. I told you why I am here. Why are you?"
Daegon shrugged, his huge body flexing under the armor. The dark, unyielding metal plates were surprisingly flexible as they slid over each other. Compared to other Corgans she's seen, the plates were heavier, but Daegon obviously had no trouble maneuvering the undoubtedly considerable weight of it.
Zoey hadn't been around the warriors for long, but she's noticed their armors spoke of their personality more than anyone would have thought. The basic principle of sliding plates remained the same, allowing for flexibility, but some were almost leathery while Daegon's seemed to be as tough as iron.
There were patterns on the armor, and she thought they resembled the ink on the warrior's skin. Perhaps mirroring it. She saw several marks of rank too, etched in matted gold, although she couldn't decipher most of them. All she knew for certain was how good he looked in it. Zoey no longer bothered to deny how attractive she found the sight.
"The chieftain ordered me to."
"And you couldn't refuse either?"
"Corgans don't function like that," Daegon said, grinning at her in a way that made her legs weak. "An order from the chie
ftain is an order. I wouldn’t have had any excuses."
"Crippling terror?" Zoey said, smirking mischievously.
The flare of lust was as unmistakable in the warlord's shining blue eyes as his amusement, and for a moment, Zoey thought he was going to get up and kiss her right then. He did not, both to her relief and disappointment.
"It really is a pity," Daegon said, his gaze seemingly nailed to her. "We should have met under different circumstances. I hate to think we have to ruin this with a futile argument."
"Futile?" Zoey asked.
She was serious again, but not surprised this time. Dealing with an insanely hot alien hunk was unexpected. That reaction she had anticipated.
Daegon nodded, taking a sip from his drink.
"We are both here because we have to be," he said, "but I hope you know there is only one way this can end."
"We'll see about that," Zoey said.
The warlord chuckled as if she'd made a joke.
"I like your spirit," he said.
Zoey was about to respond when the alarm bells went off. At first, Daegon paid them no heed, never even taking his eyes off her. Then the klaxons changed in pitch and he transformed completely. In one moment, a dark cloud shadowed his features and Zoey saw the man she'd met in the bay.
He raised his wrist to his mouth and barked an order into the transmitter, "Report."
Zoey couldn't make out the response, but she could read the signs of his body language. With every word, Daegon's heartbeat seemed to quicken. His powerful body was heaving when the message ended.
He looked like a beast, ready to pounce on its prey. The glowing blue eyes were filled with bloodlust. Zoey nearly toppled over her sofa, backing away. Perhaps Daegon was no threat to her in a peaceful moment, but this clearly wasn't it.
"Stay," the warlord snarled the second she stood. "You're going nowhere."
"I need to get back to my ship," Zoey protested. "If there is a situation, I can come back..."
"No," Daegon said, pulling her along. "We are under attack. Your ship is already gone."
"What –" Zoey began, but Daegon didn't give her time to process the news.
Dragging her along, the warlord headed deeper into the ship. The vessel came to life around her, unseen crew appearing seemingly from out of thin air. Suddenly the corridors were packed with running Corgans and strong units of warriors. Daegon gave orders as they went, but his main attention was on the comm link on his wrist. Zoey assumed the bridge was keeping him updated.
"The shrine," Daegon was demanding. "Bring the Wraith about. Stay between the shrine and the Yemalan flagship at all costs."
A terrible thought occurred to Zoey. She tugged at his arm, still pulling her along to wherever he was going.
"What about the people on Gaiya?" she demanded. "All the civilians. Mara."
"The clan on the surface will protect them," Daegon replied grimly. "They have shelters for this occasion. Don't worry about the chieftain's wife, there is a horde of warriors protecting her and she is in the safest place possible."
Zoey thought of the Citadel, the unconquerable Corgan fortress built inside a mountain. Mara and her child would be safe there. The warlord was right. All the ships in orbit were in much greater peril.
The sound of the alarms changed again. Zoey could feel Daegon's grip tighten around her arm.
"Prepare to be boarded!" the warlord roared to his warriors.
Chapter Four
Daegon
He almost had to admire the bastards.
The Yemalan had to have had some fucking nerve to come out of their territories like that, to attack the holy world itself. It was a clear insult, nothing less.
If Daegon had believed for one second that their intention was real, he would have taken the defense of the shrine more seriously. As it stood, the Wraith alone would be able to repel the attacks in orbit. The chieftain's clan could take care of anything that reached the surface.
But, he did not believe it. The raiders cared for the shrine even less than the Union did. All it was to them was a bargaining chip, something to hold against the Corgans.
No, the attack was a message of war.
"Look how far we've come," it said. "Beyond the borders. Beyond your worlds. Right on top of your shrine. We are seeing the blue of your eyes. You are weak."
The implications made Daegon's blood boil.
At least he had the Wraith. Most Corgan ships were hardly worthy of being called warships. They were massive but lacked the firepower to match their sheer size. But Rudion, Daegon's former lord, had taken a different approach.
He had said it was a shame the Corgans had no considerable power in open space and so he'd commissioned the Wraith. It was unlike any other Corgan ship and even Daegon wouldn't dare boast knowing everything about it.
He could only guess that Rudion hadn't done it alone. The ship's build spoke of Palian design. The old chieftain had to have bargained some deal with the wise, peace-loving species. Although they were the guardians of the galaxy, they were nevertheless capable of building pretty much anything, and so the Wraith had been born.
Daegon suspected that the Yemalan had been the direct reason for that. And now the ship and Rudion's clan served him and would come handy against the raiders.
The Yemalan were a wild, savage species living on the outskirts of explorable space. Corgan territories lay between them and the Union, making them even less known to the Union. Short, wiry and bad-tempered, the Yemalan were like the twisted mirror image of the Corgans. With no honor to guide them and no obedience to anyone but their own hunger and greed, they were like Corgans unleashed.
All the more reason to hate them – they were the ugly reminder of how bad the Corgans could have been. Daegon wondered if he should point that out to Zoey, but she would probably see soon enough.
Hurrying through the ship, the warlord thought about her, glancing at the woman by his side. Zoey's safety was quickly becoming an issue, with the alarms signaling that Yemalan pods had breached the outer core of the ship. It was how they waged war – trying to capture enemy ships – but Daegon welcomed it.
The Wraith had plenty of guns to defend itself, and the shields were good as well, but his warriors wanted real battle. To see eye to eye with the enemy and smell the blood in the air.
The bridge kept reporting the state of the battle to him. Outside, Nadar Brenger's clan was defending the holy world, as well as providing support from the surface. The smaller ships and the Wraith's fighters were battling the Yemalan strikers.
The mothership that had spawned all of them waited further, out of active combat, not wanting to come too close to the Wraith. It was hiding behind their vessels, trying to keep the planet between itself and Daegon.
Soon, the warlord knew, they would pull back and leave the mess they’d caused behind. Whether they would achieve their goal, which was to create more tensions between the Corgans, depended on his actions in the next few minutes. The raiders wanted to show Nadar's weakness, even if the chieftain wasn't on-world.
That would not do. No matter what Daegon thought of the chieftain personally, he couldn't allow the Corgans to be weakened like this. Not before the Union, and definitely not in front of the Yemalan.
"Aim for the mothership," he ordered the bridge. "Try to provoke it into battle."
Even as he was saying that, Daegon knew it wouldn't work. The Yemalan had figured he would stay to defend the shrine and not go for the prize. They were safe where they were, while the faster, more agile strikers could pick away at the Wraith.
Considering his mood, boarding would probably not have been the enemy's smartest move.
Only where did that leave Zoey? Even in the midst of the confusion and the blaring alarms and reports of first contact with the enemy, Daegon's thoughts kept returning to her.
The female was rushing alongside him now, not asking any questions, trying hard to not be in his way. Her skin was soft and divine under his fingers and he ache
d to caress her instead of holding her arm firmly in his grip.
"Can you fight?" he asked, not expecting anything good from a politician.
"I know which end of the gun shoots, yes," she replied. "All Union officials have to go through mandatory training. Basic combat, weapons, some stealth lessons. I was just about to ask you for a gun so I wouldn't be completely helpless."
The beat of his hearts was thundering as he looked at the female, steadying herself in the chaos of the warship.
She was nothing like he'd imagined the ambassador to be.
He ordered a crewmember to surrender his gun to her, knowing he'd get a new one almost immediately. Zoey took the weapon and weighed it in her small hands. It was shorter and better suited for her than the long, sharp rifles the Corgan warriors carried.
"Alright," she said after she'd made sure how to use it. "Thank you. I'm glad I didn't get one of those blades. I think I would do more damage to myself with those than to the enemy."
Daegon grinned, but then the situation on the ship caught his attention again. Up ahead, he could see a troop of Yemalan soldiers coming closer. Crouching, ugly creatures with wide mouths filled with four rows of razor-sharp teeth.
They were unnaturally pale, with wide noses and round, wet eyes. Daegon saw Zoey wince when she took her first look at them, but after the initial shock, she cocked the gun and took aim.
"You should hide," the warlord suggested, shielding her when the enemy began to shoot. "Find a quiet place and don't come out until I've purged this filth from my ship."
"What about you?" she asked, the concern obvious in her voice.
Daegon almost laughed, but her sincerity made him weaker than any wound ever had. There she stood, dazzling in her defiance, worrying about him. He stood more than a head taller than her and was an accomplished warrior, even more so. His name alone had made Yemalan troops flee before, and it would again, if he stooped to such low tactics.
And Zoey, so defenseless in her tight little robes, wondering if he would be okay.
"I will find you when this is over," he promised. "Now go. I will become a target very soon. With me, you're bound to be one too. Hurry, before they see you."
