by Anna Hackett
Oh. Aurina got the barest hint of his taste. The barest feel of those well-shaped lips.
He smiled at her and set her back on her feet.
Dammit. She wanted more. She brushed her hair off her flushed face and saw his lips twitch. The damn barbarian knew it.
“I will take you to your ship, my sweet skyflyer. But first, I have a dispute to deal with.” He scowled. “It cannot wait.”
“I’ll come with you.” She didn’t want him to change his mind, or worse, forget about her. “Ah…I need some clothes first. I don’t think I should parade through your house wearing a sheet.”
His gaze turned hard. “You are not permitted outside of these rooms in a sheet.”
“Barbarian, enough with the orders. I just said I don’t want to do that. No need to cause an argument when we want the same thing.”
“Women do not argue with me.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
His gaze narrowed. “Most men don’t argue with me, either.”
“They’re probably too afraid of that brooding persona of yours.”
He reached out and fingered the edge of the sheet. “But you are not afraid of me, are you?”
His tough, callused fingertips brushed her bare shoulder. Aurina shivered. No pretty-boy hands here. These were battle-hardened hands, used to holding a sword…she wondered how they’d feel on other parts of her. She somehow forced her brain to function. “No, I’m not afraid of you. I’m used to bossy, over-protective men who like to give orders.”
He stared at her bare shoulders. “I do not want to see this amazing skin covered by fabric. It is too beautiful.”
“I think you have beautiful skin.” The words just popped out of her mouth. “Ah…I mean, in other parts of the galaxy, people would pay a lot of e-creds to have the metallic-bronze sheen your skin has. Mine would be considered boring.”
“You are not boring, Aurina Phoenix.”
His words shivered through her. She shook herself. “Ah, so…clothes?”
“I had things brought for you.” He strode over to a curtained-off area, and yanked the fabric back. Inside, she saw shelves containing more of his leather trousers and shelves with different types of gauntlets, armbands and belts. On the other side, several swords and daggers hung on the wall.
“Wow,” she murmured, moving closer.
He grabbed up some scraps of leather. “These are for you. I’ve had them altered to fit your form. Our women are…shaped a little differently.”
“If you call me fat, I’ll punch you.”
“Fat?” His brows pulled together as he handed the clothes over. “You have the body of a goddess. Our women don’t have the generous curves you possess.”
“Oh.” She clutched the leather to her chest. “I’m not really into skirts. Hard to be a good scout in a skirt.”
His lips quirked again. “There are skirts in there…but also trousers.”
“Thank you.” When he just stood there, staring at her, she waved him off. “Go, I’m not changing with you standing there.”
He took a few steps and sank into a deep armchair.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
He rested his arms on the chair. “You said you wouldn’t change with me standing…now I am no longer standing.”
“Barbarian,” she muttered. Fine, she wasn’t a prude. Besides, she wouldn’t mind getting a little revenge for his highhandedness.
She moved back to the bed and set the clothes out. There were a pair of soft leather trousers in a deep brown. They looked like they’d fit her like a glove. She sifted through the shirts and only found form-fitting corsets like the women who’d dropped the food off had been wearing.
Spinning, she eyed Kavon, then she dropped the sheet.
Fire flared in his eyes and he leaned forward.
“Uh-uh.” She waved a finger at him. “No standing.”
With a growl, he sank back into the chair. “I give orders, I do not obey them.”
“You just need a little practice.” Damn, she enjoyed playing with him. That annoyed groove on his forehead did nothing to detract from his attractive face.
Aurina finger-combed her hair, taking her time, excruciatingly conscious of him watching her. There was a flimsy pair of underwear, and she pulled them on. They were made from a delicately woven fabric that looked like a spider web.
“Woman, you are…exquisite.”
Her gaze flew to his. He was watching her with an intensity that made her skin flush, and a low heat ignite deep in her belly. No one had ever looked at her like that before.
“Your curves, your hair, your skin—” His gaze traveled her body, before coming back to meet her eyes. “Even that brain you bribed me with is interesting.”
God, the man was driving her crazy. She took her time pulling on the trousers. Whoa, they really did fit like a glove, slicking over her curves. She tugged and twisted into the corset. It pushed her breasts up. Not to galactic-pornstar proportions, but you couldn’t miss the fact they were there. Belatedly, she realized there was no way she could get the ties at the back done herself.
“Barbarian?”
In a blink, he was beside her. His hand went to the ties. “I am better at undoing these, than fastening them.”
She snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
He took his time tying them, seemingly absorbed in the task. She was surprised to find the corset was quite comfortable.
“Thank you.”
His fingers trailed over the nape of her neck. An involuntary shiver ran through her.
“Will you leave your hair loose?”
She did sometimes, but when she was working, she almost always tied it back. “Okay.” Her voice was a little husky.
“All right, my sweet skyflyer, let’s get this dispute handled, then I will show you where you crashed.”
He took her hand, his large one engulfing hers, and she let him tug her from the room.
***
Kavon strode through his halls, keeping a tight hold on Aurina’s hand. He was conscious of the curious looks she was receiving from his people.
He didn’t like it.
He didn’t want anyone looking at her.
He definitely wanted no one to see her naked, or wearing his bedsheet. But the clothes were hardly better. The soft leather cupped the sweet globes of her ass and the top drew the eye to her amazing breasts.
Kavon wasn’t used to these unruly, possessive feelings. Women came and went. He had no time in his life, in his plan, for a woman like Aurina. He would get whatever knowledge she had that could help in his quest, and that would be it.
His gaze dropped to her. She was looking around eagerly, absorbing the details of his home. Well, perhaps a few nights in his bed were also in order, to douse this crazy need he felt growing for her.
He blew out a breath, and as they neared the great hall, he tried to focus on the unpleasant task ahead.
The room was packed with warriors and a few of his villagers. One woman was crying quietly in a row of seats, surrounded by family who were trying to soothe her.
Kavon strode to the front where his chair sat, elevated above the others on a small dais.
He sat, and Aurina looked around. “Ah, can I sit down there?” She nodded at some empty seats in the crowd.
“No.”
“Then where, barbarian?”
Kavon decided to get a little payback for the torment she’d caused him when she was dressing. “My lap.”
“What?” she squeaked. She thrust her hands on her hips and lowered her voice. “I’m not sitting on your lap.”
“Then at my feet.”
“I’m not sitting there, either.” She looked at the ceiling and appeared to be trying to control herself. After a second, she sat on the arm of his chair. “I’ll get revenge for this, barbarian.”
Kavon felt a spurt of amusement, then he turned his attention to the large warrior lounging in the front row. As he took in the calm
and unconcerned demeanor of the warrior, Kavon’s amusement fled.
Zaltoh was a problem Kavon should have dealt with a long time ago. He’d always had a bad attitude and Kavon had hoped, with time, he could have swayed Zaltoh to better beliefs. Kavon looked at the weeping woman and his gut hardened. Kavon had erred, and the woman had paid the price.
“Zaltoh Mal Tarr, rise.”
The warrior did. He was tall, maybe an inch taller than Kavon. “Warlord.”
“You have been accused of attacking this woman against her will.”
There were murmurs among the crowd, and a heated shout from the woman’s family. Kavon held up a hand and they quieted. He protected his people, and when he failed, he rectified his mistakes. But he wouldn’t tolerate people disobeying his orders. That led to anarchy, and to his people getting hurt.
“She was willing.” Zaltoh smirked and glanced at his fellow warriors in the seats nearby. “When she saw the size of my personal sword, she panicked. Most women do.” His smug gaze moved past Kavon, landing speculatively on Aurina.
“Look at me only,” Kavon said, his voice lethally quiet.
Zaltoh jerked, his smile slipping.
“As warriors, we are committed to the warrior’s code.”
“I am a good warrior. A good fighter,” the accused man insisted.
“You are a good fighter,” Kavon agreed. “But you have failed to be a good warrior. What is the first part of our oath, Zaltoh?”
The big man had gone a little pale. “To protect.”
“To protect whom?”
“Those weaker than ourselves,” the man mumbled.
“You think only of yourself. You did not protect a woman, one weaker than yourself. A woman under my protection.”
The man had gone silent now, staring at the floor.
Kavon felt Aurina’s keen gaze on him, but he kept his attention on his warrior. “When you attacked her, you dishonored yourself and you disobeyed me. Zaltoh, for the wrong of assaulting a woman of Clan Mal Dor, one you’d vowed to protect as a warrior, you are hereby banished.”
The warrior’s head snapped up. “No!”
“This was not your first mistake. You do not possess the mettle to be an honorable warrior. I no longer need your services, and I no longer wish to see you here. I will protect this woman by ensuring she never needs to set her gaze upon your form again. Go.” He saw Colm and two other warriors rise, and Kavon nodded at them.
They flanked the banished man and ushered him from the hall.
Kavon turned his attention to the woman. “I acknowledge the wrong done to you, Starla. I have done what I can to avenge you. Whatever else you need, you tell the head of my household.”
The woman nodded, swiping at her tear-stained face. “Thank you, Warlord. For everything.”
With a nod, Kavon stood and turned to Aurina. She was staring at him. He held out a hand, and she set her hand in his.
As they left the hall, he headed in the direction of the hargon stables. A bad mood settled on him. He hated that a woman under his protection had been hurt. And now, he was even less interested in taking Aurina to the crash site in the Wilds.
But a deal was a deal, and a warrior always kept his word.
He led Aurina into the stables, and nodded at the young stable boy. “I need my mount, Tay.”
The boy bobbed his dark head. “Yes, Warlord, I’ll bring him right now.”
Aurina waited quietly, but he still felt her intense regard. Finally, Tay rounded the stone wall, leading Tarm.
The hargon pawed at the ground, snorting. He tugged at the reins, and Kavon saw the boy was using every one of his small muscles to hold on to the beast.
“What the hell is that?” Aurina said, her mouth open. “It looks like a cross between a horse and a…a…”
Tarm snorted, flames shooting out.
Aurina swallowed. “A dragon.”
“It is a hargon beast. Warriors use them as war beasts and for traveling.”
“Warlord.” Tay handed the reins over with a look of relief.
Without a word, Kavon gripped Aurina’s waist and lifted her up. She gasped and grabbed at the pommel. She held on while he mounted behind her.
“A little warning next time, barbarian.”
Tarm protested the extra weight with a fierce snort and lift of his head.
“Quiet,” Kavon warned, digging his knees into the powerful animal’s side.
Tarm quieted but gave one more snort for good measure. Kavon urged the beast out of the stables and down the cobbled street to the main gate. Then they were outside the estate. He leaned down and nudged his chin against the side of Aurina’s face. The damn woman smelled like his soap, but under it was a unique scent that was all Aurina. His nanami flared, letting him drag that scent in deep. He let his lips brush her ear. “It is not far to your ship.”
“Good.” She tilted her face up. “Zaltoh was a strong warrior.”
Just hearing the man’s name deepened Kavon’s foul mood. “Yes. Like I said, a good fighter.”
“Yet, you still banished him. It seems to me your people worship strength.”
“We worship honor. Strength is a part of that, but so is the ability to uphold your word and protect those to whom you’ve granted your protection. Zaltoh did not do that. He hurt someone far less strong than him…to my deepest regret.”
Aurina looked across his land. “I took one look at your world and thought I understood you.”
“That we were all simple barbarians.”
“Yes.”
“But like a good scout, you keep gathering information.”
She smiled. “Yes. And something tells me there is nothing simple about you, Kavon Mal Dor.”
He felt a tug deep inside, felt his nanami rising. All because of this strange woman. “Hold on.”
Her hands tightened on the pommel. “Why?”
“Tarm, go.” Kavon nudged the beast with his boots.
The animal lunged into a fast gallop.
Aurina cried out, jolting. But Kavon had already tightened his hold on her. He’d never let her fall.
They raced across his farmlands, the sun on them and the wind tossing their hair back behind them. As Tarm leaped a small rock fence, Kavon heard Aurina laugh. Not a polite laugh or an orchestrated feminine giggle. This was a huge, throw-your-head-back laugh. It made him smile.
When they neared the boundary to the Wilds, he slowed Tarm. Soon, they stepped off the verdant farmland and into the rocky, wild terrain.
“It looks forbidding.” She was staring ahead to the shadowed, sharp spires of the mountains. “But somehow wild and exciting, as well.”
“This is the Darken Wilds.”
“The mountains look like the teeth of a demon.”
“Plenty of demon monsters call the mountains home.” He pointed to the slope of the western part of the closest hill. “Up there, I have my mines.”
“You have people working in here?” she asked, her tone incredulous.
“We’ve set up good defenses to the mine entrances. And I have warriors there to provide security to the miners, including traveling in convoy when they return to the estate. They only travel during the day. The beasts of the Wilds are…quieter in the daylight hours.”
“What do you mine?”
He sensed the excitement in her voice. “Ore for various metals. Gold. Zoaal, which we burn for fuel. Various gemstones.”
“Gemstones?”
“It appears women are the same, wherever they are from.”
She poked out her tongue. “I like collecting jewels. I have an extensive collection.”
“I’ll show you some of mine later.” His Tanaa emeralds were the exact same shade of green as her eyes. They would look exquisite against her skin.
“What are your mining methods? Is it all manual labor?”
He raised a brow. He’d expected questions on the gems, not his mining practices. “There is some manual labor, mainly to build the access
tunnels. But the mining itself is carried out using nanami.”
“Nanami? The organisms in your blood?”
“Yes. The miners are Markarians whose nanami have an affinity with rock. They can direct the power of their nanami to melt through the minerals and collect it.”
“Amazing. I’d love to see it.”
He nodded. “I can arrange that.”
“And your nanami? What do they have an affinity for?”
“Fighting.”
She laughed. “I should have known.”
They crested a rise and below, Kavon spotted where Aurina had crashed into his world. “We’re here.”
She stiffened in his arms. “Oh, my God.”
When they reached the bottom, the deep gouge was still visible, and Kavon pulled Tarm to a stop.
Aurina didn’t wait for him to help her dismount. She slid her leg over and awkwardly dropped to the ground. He went to chide her for putting herself at risk but she was already hurrying away.
Kavon scanned the surroundings to ensure there was no one—or no thing—nearby. Then he followed her.
She was standing near the slope where he’d discovered her. Her arms hung by her sides and her shoulders were slumped.
“There’s nothing here.” She looked around, her face shocked. “There should be pieces of my ship, at least.”
He gave a nod. “There were metal items. My men carried some things back to the estate, but we were in a hurry to escape the darken beasts and Drog.”
She turned. “Drog?”
Kavon tried to control the rage that welled at the warlord’s name. “The vilest, most dishonorable warrior in Markaria.”
She watched him. “I take it you don’t get along.”
“My family has feuded with his for centuries.” Kavon looked away and took a deep breath. “You probably don’t remember much of last night, but he was the one coming with his vicious hunting dogs.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Then I’m glad you got to me first.”
The idea of Drog getting his hands on Aurina made Kavon clench his teeth for control. “He knows something happened here. He will be sending his spies to find out about you.”
“Well, I hope I’m gone by then. So, he took the rest of my ship and belongings?”
“I suspect so.” And the man had left nothing behind except the disturbed earth.
