WarlordUnarmed

by Cynthia Sax

  “No!” Murad barked, appalled that Gale, the female he was meant to spend his lifetime with, would think him capable of such an action. The moment he’d seen her, smelled her, he’d known she was his gerel, his light in the darkness, and he craved her as he craved air.

  She doesn’t crave me. She fears me. Murad took a deep, calming breath, held it for three long heartbeats and exhaled. “I don’t hit females or offspring.” He met his suspicious female’s blue-eyed gaze, willing her to believe him. “And I’d never harm you, gerel.” His voice softened with a tenderness he’d never before felt toward another being. “You’re mine to protect, to cherish. I—”

  “My lord.” Sartaq’s voice originated from the communicator strapped to Murad’s waist. “An enemy ship has entered the sector and is headed toward us at full speed, their shields up,” his first in command informed him.

  An enemy ship…that clone-lover Tolui seeks to harm my gerel. “Ahhh…Tolui must wish to help with the repairs,” Murad joked, concealing his bone-deep fear under a cocky grin, humor being his time-tested method of managing his unruly emotions. “We’re returning to the ship.”

  Gale narrowed her eyes. “We are not returning to your ship.” She waved that blasted gun of hers and edged closer to his console. “I’m not leaving my home.” She turned her face away from him. “It’s all I have.”

  It’s all she has. Murad rubbed his hands over his face, that last whispered sentence unraveling his plans. “Sartaq, transfer a card of replicator credits to us, disengage and draw their fire away from us. We’ll rendezvous on Chamele 3.”

  “Very good, my lord.” Excitement sharpened his best warrior’s voice, Sartaq hungry for battle.

  “Zeta’s last transmission was from Chamele 2,” Gale grumbled, standing near his utility pack, her lush lips curled into an adorable pout, blonde curls framing her round face.

  “Our planet is closer and I’m not taking any more chances with you.” Murad allowed his gaze to linger on her pink-clad curves, her large, glorious breasts pushed upward by her tight body armor, her form soft and her spirit strong. A fitting lady for a Warlord. His cock pressed against his leather leg coverings. “Where is your replicator?”

  Gale darted a glance at the doorway and then gazed up at him, her diminutive height making Murad feel even larger, stronger, more manly. “If you try anything, I’ll shoot you,” she warned.

  “I won’t,” Murad assured her, not questioning she’d do it. She sees me as dangerous. His chest warmed with pride, as many other beings had been fooled by his laughter and his smiles, not seeing the savage warrior within him. “You can trust me, Gale.”

  “Trust you?” Gale grazed the trigger of her gun with one polished fingernail, and Murad mentally braced, expecting his skittish female to stun him again. He’d gladly suffer that pain to earn her trust.

  She didn’t stun him. Silence stretched. He waited, achingly aware that her ship was dead in space and Tolui’s stolen warship was too close to them for comfort.

  “I suppose I’ll have to trust you,” Gale finally announced and Murad breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though he had passed some important test.

  “Through the doors and to your right.” She followed him down the narrow corridor, the scent of willing female teasing Murad’s nostrils. “After I collect my next bounty, I’ll reimburse the credits.”

  “There’s no need.” He glanced at the drawings covering every passing panel, Gale’s ship resembling a shuvuu’s nest, padded with hoarded treasure. “Consider it a gift.” A mating gift. Murad moved faster, thrilled to have finally found the female he was destined to love and determined to protect her.

  “A gift,” Gale whispered, the huskiness in her voice arousing him even more. “Sharp right.” They entered an alcove, a yellow-and-pink replicator positioned on a cluttered counter.

  “Wait.” She hurried by him, her ample hips swaying. “Don’t touch anything.” Gale holstered her gun and moved a collection of neatly stacked cracked ration containers to the side, clearing space around the device. “Now you may use the replicator.” She stepped aside.

  Murad deliberately brushed against his little female as he stalked toward the replicator, savoring the brief connection. Gale jumped backward, her eyes flashing with a bewildering mixture of desire and fear. She reached for her adorably feminine gun.

  “Stunning me again will delay your ship’s repairs.” He tapped the product number into the replicator, his movements deliberately slow and nonthreatening. “We don’t have time for additional delays. The enemy is close,” Murad reasoned as the replicator hummed. “You promised to trust me, gerel.” Doesn’t she know I’m the harmless, never serious brother?

  “I trust you to fix my ship.” Gale crossed her arms under her armor-clad breasts defensively, her gun clasped in her right hand. “I don’t trust you with my person.”

  “You don’t trust me now with your delectable person.” Murad extracted the cable from the replicator and snapped it tight, testing its durability. “You will soon.”

  “Will I?” Gale’s cheeks flushed pink. “I doubt that. You don’t know anything about me.” She stomped back to the bridge, her curves jiggling enticingly, her boot heels ringing on the wire-mesh floor.

  Murad followed his angry little female, smothering his inappropriate smile, thrilled that she now trusted him enough to show him her rigidly straight spine. “I know you’re very loyal to your friend, traveling clear across the known universes to rescue her. I know—”

  “We have failed you, my lord.” Sartaq’s voice sliced through the space. An uncharacteristic panic colored his best warrior’s words, alarming Murad. “The enemy has circumvented our blockade and is heading toward you. We’re chasing him, but are unable to penetrate his shields.”

  Son of a Gechii. “We’re abandoning ship.”

  Gale widened her eyes. “No.” She shook her head and raised her gun, the lights reflecting off the barrel. “This is the only home I have. I’m not—”

  “You are.” Murad surged forward, wrested the gun easily from her hand and tossed it away. He quickly stripped the remaining weapons off her lush curves, his human mate, with her slower reflexes, unable to stop him.

  “You can’t do this.” Gale glared at him, her fists resting on her wide hips and her face pale, his female clearly afraid, yet remaining adorably defiant.

  “There’s no other choice.” Murad slung her over his right shoulder, her weight pleasingly solid and her form full, perfect for rutting. “You’re the only gerel I have.” He patted her ass, savoring the intriguing combination of hard and soft, body armor and abundant female. “I vowed to protect you and I will.” He rushed down the corridor, scanning the cluttered space, searching for an escape pod.

  “Put me down.” She wiggled, her movements exciting his already excited body. “We have the cable. I can make the repairs.”

  “Even if we could fix your ship in time, we still wouldn’t be able to outrun a warship.” Murad slapped his right hand on a control panel, its design similar to those on his own ship. The doors to the escape pod creaked open, the mechanism in appalling disrepair. His female desperately needed him and his technological skills, not that she’d ever admit to it.

  The small emergency vessel was filled with shattered weapons, torn chairs and broken devices, the objects stacked as high as his small mate could reach. “More stuff.” He groaned. Balancing Gale on his shoulder, he threw some of the items into the corridor, clearing enough space for the two of them.

  “These are my things. Don’t touch my things.” Gale thumped Murad’s back with her fists, her love taps making no impact on him. “If you break anything, I’ll shoot you, you big, big—”

  “Sexy male?” He grinned, using humor once again to help him deal with the terror-inspiring situation facing them. “Gorgeous Warlord?” He smelled the tantalizing musk of her pussy, her scent comforting him, reassuring him. “Strong—”

  The ship shuddered and the floor tilted u
nder his feet, alarms sounding and lights flashing red. “It’s time to depart.” Murad closed the doors and set Gale down, placing his body between his sputtering mate and the exit, intentionally blocking her escape. “Strap yourself in.”

  “This is my escape pod, my ship and my life,” Gale sputtered as she complied with his order, yanking the straps over her shoulders, her movements sharp and fast and angry. “I won’t stay in here with you.” Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breasts threatening to burst out of her body armor. “I can’t.” Her fingers trembled.

  “I won’t hurt you, Gale.” Murad tapped the coordinates of a lowly populated base on Chamele 3 into the control panel. The escape pod lurched backward, detaching from the main ship. Gale squeaked as a broken replicator slammed against her.

  “I’m coming.” Murad held on to the walls, struggling to keep his balance as he navigated toward her, the escape pod falling quickly. The items in the small space shifted, bumping against his calves and shins. Pain jabbed up his legs.

  He plunked his ass down beside Gale and pushed the replicator away from her. “There, that’s better, isn’t it?” Murad didn’t strap himself into the smooth white seat, choosing instead to wrap his arm around his female’s shoulders, creating a defensive wall encircling her. He breathed deeply, relishing her delectable scent, her softness, her body heat.

  “What are you doing?” She frowned at him, her face enchantingly pink. “I don’t want you touching me.”

  Liar. He grinned back at her, smelling her sexual interest. The escape pod tilted and the replicator slid toward them. Murad caught it and shoved it back. “I’m protecting you, my stubborn little female. I—”

  A blast of light and heat swept over them, pushing him into Gale’s generous form. The small vessel rattled and the clutter jostled. Murad safeguarded his small mate from harm, batting the items back, vigilantly maintaining an object-free perimeter around her.

  The escape pod leveled, drifting, its temperature lowering to normal, and Murad gazed out the top of the far viewscreen, searching for the cause of the disruption. He saw utter blackness, empty space, and his stomach clenched. Nothing remained of his mate’s ship, her beloved home.

  “What was that?” Gale gazed up at him, her body stiff and her arms crossed, as though she braced for bad news.

  Berke’s not here. Khan’s not here. I have to tell her, hurt her with this truth. “It’s gone.” His voice broke, his emotion too raw to be contained, too intense to be managed with humor. He felt his mate’s loss as keenly as he would his own.

  Gale blinked, her expression dazed. “Gone?” she repeated. “My ship? No, it can’t be.” She clutched his arm, looking to him for guidance. “That’s my home. Tell me there’s something left.” Her fingernails dug into his skin, punishing him for his failure.

  He’d bear the pain. He’d bear any pain to erase the loss reflecting in her eyes. But he wouldn’t lie to her. He couldn’t. She was his gerel, his everything. “There’s nothing left.”

  A whimper escaped Gale’s lips, the sound tearing at his heart, and tremors flowed over her body. Murad slid closer to his distraught mate and stroked her back, yearning to comfort her, realizing nothing he could say or do would help.

  They sat without speaking as the escape pod gained speed, hurtling toward Chamele 3, the stars blurring in the viewscreens. The small vessel fell so quickly objects floated, their sharp edges banging into Murad’s shoulders.

  “Turn your face toward me,” he ordered, constructing a cage around Gale’s smaller form with his body. “I’ll protect you.”

  She obeyed him without protest, without fear, without any emotion, as though the loss of her home had numbed her. “Who will protect you?” She pressed her lips against his bare skin, her breath hot, the intimate touch sending sweet sensations to his unruly cock.

  “I’m tougher than I look,” Murad joked, Gale’s concern for him warming his chest.

  “You look very tough.” She huddled against him, the body armor forming a frustrating barrier between her curves and his muscle. “Except when you smile.”

  “And I smile often.” The escape pod shook violently, the objects around them bumping against Murad. He gritted his teeth and held on to Gale tighter. Will we survive this descent? “Too often according to my brothers. They claim I’m never serious.”

  “But that’s an act, isn’t it?” she whispered.

  “It started as an act,” Murad confessed, laughter being his way to gain attention in a family dominated by Berke, the leader, and Khan, the warrior. “Now it’s a habit, a way to cope.” With loss, with loneliness, with life.

  “I wish I had mastered that habit.” Gale placed one of her hands on his chest. “Everyone wants a smiling, perfect child.” She splayed her fingers wider, as if she were staking a claim on his pounding heart. “The girls who figured that out were adopted right away.” She sighed. “And not returned.”

  Murad stiffened, their descent, his family and everything else forgotten. “Did someone return you?” He gazed down at Gale’s blonde head, unable to believe someone would be so cruel to the generous, loyal female in his arms.

  She buried her cold nose deeper into his chest. “I’m not perfect and I don’t always smile.”

  I’ll kill the being who dared to return her. Murad’s claws pricked at his skin, wishing to extend, his soul seeking payment for the hurt caused to his little human mate. “I’ll never return you,” he vowed, needing to reassure her.

  “The parents said that also.”

  Parents. More than one set. Murad growled, his rage compounding.

  “And I’m not yours to return.” Gale straightened, squaring her shoulders. “Once we land, I’ll send a transmission to Zeta and I’ll no longer be your responsibility.”

  “You’ll always be my responsibility. You’re my gerel. I—” The pod shook so hard his teeth clattered together, preventing him from forming words. Murad pushed closer to Gale, covering as much of her body as possible.

  The pod spun and metal edges of broken devices sliced his skin. The replicator thumped against his arm. A shattered communicator whizzed by his ear, scratching a stinging trail across his cheek. Murad ducked down, resting his chin on the top of Gale’s golden head, her soft curls tickling his nose.

  He breathed in and breathed out, savoring her scent, her curves, her closeness, wishing he could have had longer with her, could have better protected her. The escape pod whirled round and round, the objects tumbling, slamming against him, his body throbbing with pain.

  Gale clung to him, sobbing into his chest, the heart-wrenching noise reassuring Murad. She’s alive. She’ll stay alive. She—

  A heavy object crashed against his forehead. Pain shot through his skull. Blood scented the air. Lights flashed in front of his eyes and his world went dark, his grip on Gale intensifying.

  Chapter Two

  Gale woke with a groan, her entire body aching, throbbing. A buzz hummed in her ear, and an animalistic shriek echoed in the distance. The scent of engine lubricant and male musk filled her nostrils. She opened her eyes. Tanned skin blocked her view.

  Threat. She wiggled out of Murad’s tight grip and lunged forward, the torn seat straps flapping around her shoulders. She grabbed a jagged wedge of metal, closing her fingers around the sharp edge, and she turned to face the big Warlord, holding her makeshift weapon before her.

  Murad had slumped in the seat. Rich, red blood streamed down his cheek from a deep gash on his forehead and he was still, very still, his eyes closed and his mouth partially open.

  “Murad.” She nudged him with her booted foot.

  He didn’t answer. He didn’t laugh that foolish laugh of his. He didn’t move.

  Fear skittered down her spine, fear not for herself but for him, the male who’d protected her during the crash, the male she shouldn’t care for, the male destined to reject her as everyone else had.

  “Murad, wake up.” She tossed the wedge of metal away, gripped his shoulders
and shook him, frantic to rouse him. The Warlord sank deeper into the seat. “No. No. No.” She brushed back his long black hair, the strands soft and fine. “You have to be alive.” She cupped his handsome face, his skin reassuringly warm.

  “You have to live. You kept…keep me safe. You can’t die.” Gale brought her lips closer to his. Air wafted on her skin in an intimate caress. “You’re breathing…aren’t you?”

  She laid her hand on his chest, seeking more confirmation. His heart beat under her palm, its rhythm strong. “Yes, you are breathing. You’re alive. Thank the stars.” Gale leaned back and laughed, giddy with relief.

  “You gave me a fright, Murad.” She shrugged the broken straps off her shoulders, the dangling ends rubbing against her arms, irritating her. “I didn’t know what I’d do without you,” she confessed freely as there was no need to guard her words, the laughing warrior unconscious.

  “Let’s see how badly hurt you are.” She quickly ran her hands over his legs, torso, arms, neck, exploring his massive body, searching for injuries. Other than the minor cuts already pulling closed, the many bruises coloring his skin, and the head wound, he appeared unharmed.

  “You’ll regain consciousness soon.” She patted his chest, relishing the contact, the big male now as harmless as the objects she collected. “Until then, I’ll take care of you.”

  Gale slid open the compartment under the seat and extracted one of the containers of water, part of the escape pod’s emergency supplies. “Good thing I didn’t sell these.” She beamed, having stripped and sold almost everything else of worth in the tiny vessel.

  She wetted her right sleeve and dabbed the soft pink leather over the gash on his forehead, sacrificing her sole garment without a second thought, Murad’s care being her first priority. The bleeding had stemmed and a thin layer of skin already sealed the wound, the Chamele Warlord healing faster than any human would.

  As Gale slowly, carefully worked toward the center of the cut, Murad twitched and his booted feet kicked. She stilled, the fear returning. He quieted.