Lory did not react. It was not long before she heard a loud crash and the door flew into the room. The two men burst into the suite. Lory threw the first knife but the blond one that she had aimed at dodged it skillfully so the attempt came to nothing.
“Hey! Easy, little one,” he groaned. “Let’s talk like rational people, OK?”
“Kiss my ass, jerk-off! Take that!” she said, throwing a second knife. Although the two men now had advance warning she hit the man with the long black hair on his upper arm. The blade only grazed his triceps but he swore loudly and she regretted that she had not struck him better. Now she only had one knife left to defend herself.
“Go and look for the other one,” said the blond one to his companion, and the black-haired man disappeared into one of the rooms.
Lory hoped that Charly had hidden well.
“Don’t come too close to me,” Lory warned, standing ready to fight.
The blond man looked at her from his icy-blue eyes. His facial features gave away nothing about his thoughts or intentions. That was bad, because usually her opponents gave away their intentions, even if often hardly noticeably, through small changes in their expression. This man, however, was impossible to read. But she stayed focused whilst they circled one another. She knew that the way she was holding her blade and her posture made it very clear to him that she was trained in martial arts, but that was of no significance now anyway. She had long missed the element of surprise. Now it was a matter of fighting to the death.
The blond man made the first move, but Lory was fully concentrating and struck out with her blade so that he had to jump away to dodge the knife. She still caught him and slit open his shirt right across his broad chest. Blood showed her that she had injured him, but it was only a scratch that he probably did not even notice.
Although she had very probably impressed him his expression still gave nothing away. She swore quietly. Somehow he reminded her of someone but at the moment she could not think of who that was. Without warning the blond man removed the knife from her hand in one proficient movement. She turned to escape his clutches and, in turn, kicked out at his rib cage before landing on her hands and doing a backflip to create a little space for herself, so as to compose herself again. Now she realised who he reminded her of and she nearly laughed. He looked a little like the evil blond Russian in the old movie. What was the film called again? Rocky or something?
The blond man attacked again and they exchanged a few blows and kicks. To her satisfaction she heard bones crack when she hit him hard on the nose and blood poured out. In return she caught a blow on her chin and tasted blood. She registered the fact that the man was suppressing his strength, because with his stature he could have easily broken her jaw. She wondered why he was holding back like this.
A scream from the bedroom distracted her, so she did not see the next blow coming.
‘Charly,’ she thought. ‘The bastard must have found her.’
***
Kordan swore silently. None of this was going as he had planned. He was here to rescue two weak women in need and now it looked as if they did not want to be rescued, and they were not weak either - at least not this black-haired one who had just broken his nose. He was completely overwhelmed by the situation. How was he going to calm her down without hurting her too much? He was afraid of hitting too hard. But he had to do something. The woman fought liked a trained warrior. This sort of thing was new to him. Carthian women did not behave like this.
He had just positioned himself to deal a blow when a scream was heard that briefly distracted his pretty opponent. Instead of dodging his blow, as before, or fending him off, she turned in such a way that he struck her with more force than intended on the temple. To his dismay she staggered and fell right onto the glass table. She landed in a pile of broken glass and Kordan uttered a bloodcurdling scream as he saw the huge shard that had sunk into her back from behind and come out through her stomach. Blood poured out and he fell onto his knees beside her.
“No! Shit!” he swore in despair. “Please no! Hold on in there, girl!” He lifted her carefully from the pile of broken glass, paying no attention to the numerous cuts that he was incurring, then he lay the injured woman on the sofa as Amano burst into the room with the shrieking redhead.
“No! Let me go!” shrieked the redhead. She was yelling and swearing, then suddenly fell silent. She stared in horror at her injured friend. Her expression changed from horror to sheer rage and she began to go wild again.
“You bastard! What have you done to her? Pig! Son of a bitch! You fucking ass-hole! I’m going to kill you if I get hold of you. You’ll regret this!”
She finally fell silent when Amano dealt her a well-aimed blow to the head and she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.
“Sorry, little one,” Amano apologized, uneasy. “But it’s best for you to sleep for a while now.”
Amano placed her in an armchair and rushed over to Kordan who was tearing his shirt into strips to use as a temporary bandage.
“What happened?” asked Amano.
“She fell onto the bloody table,” groaned Kordan. “Damn it! I didn’t want …”
“I know. It was an accident. We need to get her to the ship as quickly as possible. She’ll heal in the medical unit. Are you ready?”
Kordan nodded. He got up and took the girl in his arms. Amano picked the other girl up from the armchair and they left the suite.
Chapter 4
Kanavirius System
On board the Cordelia
33rd day of the month of Jakus in the year 7067
Federation Time
Lory opened her eyes, blinking. The ceiling of matt metal above her did not belong in her suite. The lighting was also much too garish. Where was she? What had happened? She sat up, groaning as she felt dizzy.
“That’ll pass. That’s just the side effect of the medication,” said a friendly voice.
Lory turned her head and saw an older man in a white shirt and white trousers. He was sitting at a desk, writing something in a book.
“Where am I?”
“On board the Cordelia.”
“Is this Mr Allegrass’s ship?”
“Ellyod Allegrass?” asked the man in astonishment. “No!”
“Whose ship is this?”
“It’s the ship belonging to the royal family of the House of Arr’Carthian. We’re on our way to Karrx7 where your friends are.”
“Friends?”
“Lady Keela and Lady Amber, of course.”
“Lady Kee… Ah! And where’s Charly? The girl who was with me?”
“She’s in Captain Amano’s quarters. I’ll have her called if you wish.”
“Yes, I do wish that!” snarled Lory indignantly. She had recalled what had happened and she remembered Charly’s anxious screams. If this pig had touched her friend he was going to be in trouble.
The man got up and opened the door with a simple verbal command. He gave one of the two guards at the door the task of fetching Lady Charly. Lory grimaced. These people were not right. On the one hand they just sent two bandits to abduct her then they called her Lady. The man in white, who clearly seemed to be a doctor or something, sat down at his desk again and continued putting information into his book.
After a few minutes the door opened again and Charly burst in. She seemed to be well and happy to see Lory.
“Lory! You’re awake!” she said, taking Lory in her arms. Then she sat down on a chair next to the bed that Lory was sitting on.
“What’s going on here? What happened? And has anyone done … you know what I mean.”
Charly smiled and shook her head.
“So many questions all at once. I thought you were going to die on me and now you’re sitting here looking as if you want to go straight into battle again. I’m fine, Lory. And no, no one has touched me. I’m being treated very well and Amano …”
“Who is this Amano? Haven’t you got your own room?”
&nbs
p; “Amano is the captain of the Cordelia and he’s looking after me. He thinks we belong together, that I’m his mate, but I’ve told him that it won’t work. He’s quite persistent …”
“I’ll kill the pig!” Lory got up and jumped off the bed. “Show me where he is!”
Charly took hold of Lory’s arm.
“Stop! Not so hastily. It’s OK. Amano is trying to charm me but he’s accepting my ‘no’. He would never force himself on me, believe me. He’s let me have his bed and he’s sleeping somewhere else. He often keeps me company, but at night I’m alone. So there’s no reason to get angry. And I don’t want you to do anything. He … I like him.”
Lory looked at her friend in disbelief. What was wrong with Charly? Was she on some sort of drug? How could she say that she liked this Amano when he had abducted her and also claimed that she is his mate? Did Charly not understand what that meant? The man would not let her turn him away forever and he was a damn alien. How could Charly forget that? They had had a ticket home and had lost that chance entirely because of these men and they were now on their way to another damn alien planet.
“Sit down a minute and be calm,” said Charly. “You still need to recover. You were very badly injured.”
“What happened to me? I can’t remember anything.” Lory asked once she was sitting on the bed again.
“You fell onto a glass table and a huge shard went through your body. That’s apart from all the small shards that you had all over your body. Kordan was desperately upset. That’s the only time that I’ve seen emotion in that man. Otherwise he’s as cold as a dog’s nose.”
“Kordan?”
“That’s the blond man who came into our suite. He’s hardly left your side since you went into the medical unit before coming in here.”
The door opened and the aforementioned blond man entered the room.
“Speak of the devil,” murmured Charly.
Kordan approached and Lory visibly stiffened. She was on her guard against this cold giant. But if necessary she would not shy away from a fight.
“You’re awake,” Kordan stated in his deep voice.
“I am and I’ve got a lot of questions,” snarled Lory indignantly.
“Leave us alone,” he commanded and the doctor made haste to leave the room.
Charly looked at Lory, concerned.
“It’s OK,” Lory reassured her. “I’m fit again. I can defend myself. You can go.”
Charly glanced threateningly at Kordan.
“I warn you. Touch one hair on her head and I’ll kill you!”
The corner of Kordan’s mouth twitched slightly as if he was going to smile, but it was gone again so quickly that Lory was not sure whether she had just imagined it.
Charly got up and left the room. Kordan sat down on the chair, his long legs stretched out casually in front of him and his arms crossed over his chest. Lory took the time to take a closer look at her opponent this time. The fact that he was massive, she had already ascertained in her suite. She estimated that he was over seven feet tall. She was very tall for a woman, too – six feet two inches. It was rare for her to need to look up to a man. But now this giant was sitting below her and yet still did not come across as any less threatening. The cool effect of his short blond hair, combined with his icy-blue eyes, emphasized his angular facial features. He had sensuously curved lips and she wondered what he looked like when he smiled. Could he even smile?
Her eyes slid down over his broad shoulders, his massive arms and his broad chest – his muscles were clearly defined under the tight black shirt that he was wearing – down to his long muscular legs which could be seen below a kind of kilt. When he had burst into her suite he had been wearing tight black trousers. She had to admit that he looked damned attractive in this black-blue kilt. He came across as altogether sexy in a cold way.
‘Whoa, girl! Your stepping into dangerous territory. Just don’t let yourself be taken in by his appearance. This man is ice-cold and probably dangerous!’ her inner voice cautioned her.
“Have you finished your inspection?” he asked roughly and Lory felt uncomfortably as if she had been caught out. Fortunately she was not the sort of person who blushed.
“I think so,” she responded coolly. “I’m of the opinion that it’s a good idea to know one’s enemy well. To find his weaknesses.”
‘As if this man has any.’
“And have you found my weaknesses?” asked Kordan, his voice calm, with a slight hint of amusement.
“Of course. I’m not going to tell you what they are, though.”
“Of course not,” he replied, unconcerned. “I didn’t expect you to. You wanted to ask me a load of questions? Begin!”
“Why did you break into our suite and abduct us?”
“We were given orders to rescue you.”
“But we didn’t want to be rescued,” Lory yelled.
“I got that impression,” replied Kordan and this time she was certain that the corners of his mouth were twitching.
“Who gave you the orders and where are you taking us?”
“My cousin, the prince of Arr’Carthian ordered me to rescue his mate’s friends and bring them to the king’s palace on Karrx7.”
“What’s this mate nonsense about? This Amano is claiming that Charly is his mate, your prince is claiming … who is it: Keela or Amber?”
“Lady Keela.”
Lory rolled her eyes.
“Lady Keela! Next you’re going to claim that I am your mate!”
“I’m not looking for a mate,” replied Kordan calmly.
“Well, I’ve been lucky this time! Until another one of you comes along and claims me as his mate. Huh!”
Kordan leant forward, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.
“No one …,” he said between clenched teeth,”… will claim you as his mate if I have anything to say to it!”
“Woo! Are you now my kind of child-minder or something? Maybe one of your colleagues will like me, hm?”
Kordan had leapt up and she had no choice but to look up to him again. He pulled her roughly to her feet and stared hard into her eyes.
“That will not happen!” he snarled menacingly.
“Who’s going to stop that? You?” Lory challenged him, her heart pounding.
She was not happy to admit it, but this giant was having a strange effect on her. His proximity was unsettling her and it was not just fear that she was feeling. What was much more unsettling was the tingling sensations that his proximity was causing in her lower regions. So that she could look at him she was having to throw her head back because she only came up to his chin. For the first time in her adult life she felt small and inferior. That was a feeling that she did not like, but she must not show her insecurity.
“Yes, me!” he answered her question and, without any warning, he pulled her to him and pressed his mouth onto hers.
She pushed her hands against his broad chest but he was physically far superior to her. Her heart was pounding madly and she stared angrily into his eyes. His fixed gaze made her almost as nervous as his lips that were still firmly pressed upon hers. When he changed his tactics and moved the tip of his tongue over her lips she felt her pussy contract and heat flood her lower regions. She had no idea why she was reacting in this way to this damn arsehole. Had she actually just groaned? That was appalling.
She tried again to push him away, but in vain. A large hand wandered to her behind and pressed her harder onto his firm body. To her consternation it was abundantly clear that she could feel the long firmness of his arousal pressing against her belly. He was going to rape her. She was certain of that. Yet her lips opened as if of their own accord as his lips demanded admission. Without really understanding what was happening to her she was suddenly returning his kisses. Her hands were wandering up over firm muscles and along his strong neck until they were clutching at his short hair. She could hear him groaning quietly and he pushed her back against the cot.
‘Da
mn it! What am I doing?’ she thought, panic-stricken. ‘I mustn’t let this happen.’
But it felt so damn good. His assertive kissing was kindling a desire in her that she had never before experienced. No man had ever kissed her so fully. Her whole body seemed to be in flames and she knew that only he could satisfy the hunger that was suddenly raging within her.
Suddenly a loud alarm could be heard and a red light was flashing above the door. Swearing, Kordan moved away from her and she needed a moment to pull herself together.
“What’s going on? What does the alarm mean?”
“We’re being attacked. I have to go to the bridge. You stay here!”
“You reckon!” Lory yelled. “I can fight, too!”
He took her by the arms and glared at her angrily.
“And I’m saying, YOU STAY HERE!”
“NO!”
“Oh, YES!”
They were standing opposite one another like two fighting cocks in a staring contest. Kordan pushed her behind the bed and moved it so that she was blocked in, before he rushed from the room with the door locking behind him.
Lory pushed the bed out of her way, swearing, and ran to the door.
“Open!” she commanded, as she had seen the doctor do earlier and Kordan just before. But the door remained closed.
“Voice not recognized. Command cannot be executed. Please identify yourself. This door is subject to security level four,” sounded a computer voice.
“Damn it!” Lory swore, banging the door in frustration. This pig had really locked her in here.
‘Such a bloody ass-hole! And I nearly … Shit!’
***
Kordan charged along the corridor to the lift. Only part of him was focussing on the danger. The other part of him was with the woman that had confused all his principles. It was true - he had not been looking for a mate. Women were afraid of him and he was not the sort of man that could give them tenderness and a sense of security. He was as cold as ice - a warrior through and through. But when she had mentioned that another could claim her for himself he had seen red. He did not know what had come over him but he knew that he would kill any man that laid a finger on her.
Fighting Lory (English Edition) (Lords Of Arr'Carthian 2) Page 4
