Lost in Barbarian Space

by Anna Hackett

  “Agent Brandall will head security for the secondary team,” Nera said quietly.

  Colm straightened. He remembered what had happened to Kavon on the mountain. “Kavon, I should come with you into the Darken Wilds.” The meadows were relatively safe; the Wilds, on the other hand, were teeming with beasts and dangers.

  Kavon shook his head, his long hair brushing his shoulders. “Take care of our guests, Colm. They are unfamiliar with our world.”

  Colm huffed out a breath.

  “I’m sure we’ll be perfectly fine without you, warrior,” Honor said. “If you aren’t interested in a little treasure hunting.”

  He saw the challenge in Honor’s eyes and he crossed his arms. “I follow my warlord’s orders.”

  Suddenly, music started up on the far side of the hall. People started clearing away tables to make a space for dancing.

  “Let’s enjoy the rest of the feast,” Kavon said. “Tomorrow, we will search for this lost ship of the First Warriors.”

  Colm’s gaze went back to Honor and lingered. Oh, he planned to enjoy the rest of the feast.

  And he planned to talk a certain female into his bed.

  ***

  Honor pushed off the crowded dance floor, a little winded. Some of the Markarian ladies had lured her to join a woman’s dance. Most of the warriors didn’t dance, she noticed, but a few did. The Markarian style of dancing was energetic and athletic. Lots of dipping, kicking, and jumping. It reminded her of the Cossack dancing she’d seen in old Earth records.

  A flash of pink amongst the dancers caught her eye. Lala was having the time of her life, laughing with the Markarians.

  Honor’s face felt flushed, and the little bit of ale she’d allowed herself had gone to her head supernova-fast. She spotted Nera leaning against a wall. Honor’s boss hadn’t had anything to drink, nor was she dancing. The woman was keeping a close eye on the crowd and Niklas. She just didn’t seem to have an off switch.

  The rest of the security team, those who weren’t on duty back on the Magellan, mingled with the crowd. They were drinking and talking with the locals. She spotted Derek Wu dancing with a pretty Markarian woman. She also spotted the newest member of her team, Wade Darzan, sitting at a table and scowling. She noted he had no drink, and wasn’t talking to anyone. The young man was a fresh recruit, with a chip on his shoulder and a bad attitude. She sighed. Something for her to deal with later.

  Honor spotted the open doorway to a balcony and headed out. Fresh air would clear her head.

  She leaned against the carved stone railing and looked out. The place had an almost medieval feel to it. The sprawling house was made of a luminous gray stone and made her think of castles. In the distance, she saw the shadows of the mountains and two moons high in the night sky.

  It had a certain kind of beauty. Something wild. While she’d expected the Markarian way of life to be extremely low-tech, it was surprising how much of it wasn’t. She’d listened tonight about how they farmed and mined, utilizing their nanami. It was really quite extraordinary.

  She had to admit she didn’t miss seeing neon lights everywhere, or buildings packed close together, and transports clogging the sky. She breathed deep, absorbing the fresh air. She’d grown up on a mega-city world for a while, after which they’d moved to an agricultural one. She’d never known the verdant fields of her homeworld, but her father liked to talk about it.

  “Do you find Markaria too barbaric for your tastes?”

  The rumble of the deep voice behind her made her turn.

  Colm appeared out of the shadows, his bronze skin glowing in the moonlight.

  “I was actually just thinking how beautiful it is.” She didn’t want to look at him, but her gaze drifted over his muscled chest, his strong arms. She lingered on those interesting bands circling his thick wrists and the tufts of gray fur. “Wild, rough, but intriguing.”

  His teeth flashed white in the darkness. Behind him, the sounds of laughter, talking, and music spilled out into the night. He moved forward.

  He crowded her against the railing. Honor felt her body tense, but she didn’t move. When he reached out, she went still. She knew she should push him away, but damn, the raw power and heat of him left her warm inside.

  He touched her hair. “It looks like gold.”

  “It’s just hair.”

  He rubbed it between his fingers. “Markarians all have dark hair and bronze skin…this is fascinating. And your skin looks like the color of the sky at sunrise.”

  Honor sucked in a breath. She’d had men who liked her hair and skin…it was the rest of her they couldn’t handle. “Is that all you notice, barbarian?”

  He must have detected something in her voice because he let her hair go, and she felt his gaze on her face.

  “That is the least of what I see in you, Honor Brandall. I will admit, the way you fight is…compelling.”

  She grinned, the tension of the moment broken slightly. “Even though I beat you?”

  “I was holding back, of course. I would never injure a guest. And it was a draw.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  He touched her face, his thumb stroking down her cheek. “Yes, as soft as I imagined. Do you know what I noticed most about you?”

  Flutters were overtaking her stomach. The electricity in the air sparked back into life, and her skin tingled. He was so big and it made her feel so small. “What?” Her voice was a tiny bit breathy.

  “The challenge in your eyes. I suspect whatever you do, you try to do it the best you can. I admire that.”

  God, the man had barely touched her, and she felt like she was melting.

  Then he leaned down, his mouth an inch from hers. She felt his warm breath and smelled the spicy ale on his lips. She swallowed. She knew she should push him away. They had to work together.

  But she stayed there, staring into his deep, brown eyes.

  His mouth touched hers. Just a nip, then his tongue stroked across the seam of her mouth. She sucked in a sharp breath. She’d expected his kiss to be rough and hard and fast. This gentleness was surprising. And unnerving.

  Then he kissed her.

  He pulled her closer, and Honor’s hands went to his wide shoulders. His tongue pushed into her mouth in a bold demand. Oh, the man could kiss. She kissed him back, her tongue sliding against his.

  She lost herself in the pleasure. The scent and taste of him flooded her senses. Her Predian abilities were wide open, and she drowned in all the gorgeous sensations. He was so big, so strong, and he surrounded her.

  A thick thigh pushed between her legs, moving just enough so that the sensitive place between her thighs rubbed against him. A flare of heat arrowed right to her core. She moved, desperate for more.

  He pulled back. “Come to my rooms, Honor.” His voice held a hard, hungry edge.

  Cool air hit her face, and along with it, a splash of reality.

  He was a stranger—an attractive one—but a stranger she had to work with. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?” He pushed his hips forward and the very hard and very large bulge of his erection brushed her belly.

  She swallowed a groan. “Barbarian—”

  “My name is Colm.”

  “Colm. It’s an intriguing offer, but it isn’t why I’m here. We have to work together…”

  “I am asking for one night. That is all.”

  That honest comment soured the flames flicking in her belly. She was tired of being a one-night pleasure, an oddity for any man looking for something different.

  “No.” She pushed at his shoulders, but he only budged an inch. “Besides, I’ve sworn off men.”

  “Why?”

  “They’ve proven…problematic. You have problem written all over you.” She waved at his chest.

  “And you have independent, opinionated skyflyer written all over you. It will not dull my enjoyment of sliding my cock between your legs.”

  Images exploded in her mind. She groaned. “D
on’t say that.”

  He tilted his head, a devious smile appearing. “Do you like dirty words, Honor?”

  Hell, she didn’t know. She’d never been with a man who spoke dirty to her. She’d imagined barbarian warriors to be strong silent types…not dirty-talk types.

  He leaned closer, his breath on her ear. “I would love to take that bland uniform off you. I would stroke you all over, learn where you are strong and where you are soft. I am sure between your thighs you are very, very soft.”

  “Colm.” She tried to inject some strength into her voice.

  “I would lie back and pull you over me, until you straddled my face. I would feast on your flesh and make you writhe on my tongue.”

  She trembled. It was so easy to imagine them together.

  “I would put you on your knees between my legs and watch my cock slide into your mouth.”

  For a second, she saw it. Her hands on hard thighs, his large cock on her lips. Then the vision morphed, and all she saw was Engineer Dickhead with his cute little nurse.

  Honor straightened and shoved at Colm’s chest. “I’m sure it would be memorable, Colm. But no.”

  “Just one night, Honor.”

  That just firmed her resolve. She was good enough for one night but nothing more? Screw that. “No.”

  He stepped back, his nostrils flaring. “I can scent your arousal. You want me.”

  “My body wants you.” She could also smell the earthy scent of his desire and it was like oil on the fire inside her. “I am not ruled by my body.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I am a warrior, Honor, and a hunter.”

  She eyed him warily.

  “I always capture my prey,” he said silkily.

  “I am not prey.” She stalked around him and toward the door.

  As she walked inside, she forced herself not to look back.

  Chapter Four

  Honor strode out of the building, her team behind her, and breathed in the fresh Markarian air. She’d slept like crap, but she wasn’t going to let that interfere with their trip today. She could hear the archeologists arguing about the day’s plans.

  She looked over at Derek. “You’ve got a strong signal?”

  The younger man looked down at the Sync communicator attached to his wrist. “Yes, Agent Brandall. Loud and clear.”

  “Good.” She looked around the empty courtyard. “Now we just have to wait for our escort.” Honor wasn’t sure how she felt about waiting for a certain barbarian warrior. The damn man and his hard body and bone-melting kisses had starred in all her dreams.

  She heard the clatter of hooves on stone, followed by a snort. She spun.

  From around a corner, several large beasts appeared.

  “Holy stars,” Derek breathed.

  Honor heard gasps from the archeologists and other security agents.

  At first glance, they looked like horses—just bigger and more muscular, with black, leather-like skin, horns, and a wicked row of spikes down the back of their necks.

  “We can’t be traveling on those,” one of the archeologists said in a panicked voice.

  “No way,” a security officer said.

  Colm appeared from the other side of the lead beast. He smiled at Honor. “Are you and your team ready, Agent Brandall?”

  The way he drawled her name set her on edge. “Of course, Warrior Mal Kor.”

  When the beast he was holding snorted, she saw flames shoot out of its nostrils. Each member of her team collectively gasped.

  “They are well-trained,” Colm added.

  Steadying herself, Honor stepped forward and reached out to pat the neck of the closest beast. She’d always liked animals.

  Its skin was tough, but she felt an intense warmth radiating off it. When the fearsome-looking beast nuzzled against her, surprise jolted through her.

  She glanced up and saw that Colm looked impressed.

  “It is time to mount up.” Colm looked at her team. “Anyone who is uncomfortable with riding the hargon beasts, let me know. I will have a warrior ride with you.”

  There were a few grumbles and mumbled comments, but everyone decided they could handle the hargons.

  “We have gear we need to take with us,” one of the archeologists, Dr. Brown, called out, pointing at two large boxes.

  Colm nodded at the woman. “I will take care of it.”

  Honor watched Derek struggle to get his foot in the stirrup and then climb onto the massive beast. It wasn’t elegant. She considered how to get on without looking like an idiot.

  Suddenly, large hands clamped on her waist and she was lifted up.

  Honor quickly swung her leg over the hargon and glanced down at Colm. “I could’ve managed.”

  “I have no doubt. My helping you does not detract from that.”

  Colm climbed on his beast in a smooth, athletic move. The boxes were strung in some sort of netting, hanging off the sides of his beast. He looked back, his hands twisting in the reins. “Speak firmly but calmly to your beasts. Gentle nudges with your heel to move them forward. If you kick too hard, they’ll run. Fast.”

  Honor did as he directed and when her beast moved forward, she smiled.

  As they moved out of the gates of the estate and into the fields, she slowly got the hang of the beast. She patted it on its neck and spoke quietly to it.

  They rode past well-ordered fields divided by low stone walls. Honor saw many workers busy in the fields. Some of them were singing and laughing amongst themselves. It seemed to her that life on Markaria, for all its lack of high technology, was pretty darn idyllic.

  What would it be like to get up every day and enjoy glorious sunshine, eat fresh food, and train with half-dressed warriors all day?

  Except you wouldn’t train with them, Honor. Women aren’t warriors on Markaria, remember?

  A beast moved up beside her. She didn’t need to glance over to see that it was Colm.

  “You handle the beast well,” he said.

  His praise shouldn’t please her so much. She patted her beast’s neck again. “It’s all about respect.”

  “And yet you have so little of it for me.”

  She turned her head quickly. “That’s not true. I respect your planet and your people. I don’t like that women can’t train to be warriors.” Her gaze narrowed on him. “I get the feeling that you warriors are not used to taking orders from women.”

  He smiled at her. “Would you be surprised to hear that a woman runs all of this?” He waved a hand at the farmland.

  “Really?”

  “And Kavon’s mines.”

  Honor made a noise and pondered it. She certainly hadn’t expected it.

  “Everyone in the clan has a job to do,” he said. “It is usually whatever your nanami is best suited to.”

  “So a woman’s nanami isn’t suited to being a warrior?”

  He shrugged. “Nanami suited to fighting are generally found in those who are larger and stronger. It occasionally happens that a woman is a warrior, but not often. It is difficult for a warrior to watch the mother of his child risk her life.”

  “It should still be the woman’s choice.” Honor glanced to the left. Here, she had a much closer view of the forbidding mountains. “It doesn’t look so pretty over that way.”

  “The Darken Wilds are not a nice place to be. They are harsh and unforgiving, and home to many beasts.”

  “Still, they have a tough sort of beauty.”

  “I’m glad you enjoy my planet, Agent Brandall.”

  “I guess because we’ll be working together for some time, you should call me Honor.”

  He smiled. “Honor. And you will call me Colm.”

  It sounded suspiciously like an order to her.

  They traveled past the farmlands and away from the mountains. The land ahead consisted of gently rolling fields of grass, with not a single tree to be seen. The archeologists were all busy talking amongst themselves and snapping images.

  “Agent Brandall?” D
erek’s excited voice caught her ear. “We’re getting close.”

  “Thanks.” She looked up and saw the sun glinting off something not far ahead. “A lake?”

  Colm nodded. “There are many small lakes dotting this area. They’re not very deep, and if we have a season with no rain, they are prone to drying up.”

  Soon the group reached the lake. It looked gorgeous. The water was a brilliant blue that contrasted vividly with the green grass around it.

  Honor slid off her hargon beast and watched the others doing the same. A few of them rubbed at their aching leg muscles. “Anything nasty in there that I should know about?”

  Colm shook his head. “A few fish and eel, but nothing large or harmful.”

  “Derek? How far to the signature?”

  The man sighed. “We’re right near it. It’s in the lake.”

  She shook her head. “Of course it is. Great, just great. Dr. Brown, Dr. Lev’nan, what do you want to do?”

  The archeologists murmured to each other for a moment before they straightened and turned to her.

  “We’ll suit up and grab the breathers.” Dr. Brown was a plump, older woman. “Looks like we’re going to take a swim.”

  “Roger that.” Honor looked at her three agents. “Derek, help the doctors and fire up the salvage droid. Braz, you take the left, Galla, you’ve got the right. Keep your eyes open, and let’s make sure we don’t have any visitors.”

  Colm folded his strong arms over his chest. “We are not too far from the Wilds. It is not unknown for some of the darken beasts to slip over into the meadows to hunt. But it is unlikely during the day. They don’t like the sunlight.”

  Everyone nodded. The security agents got to work, and soon the two archeologists were suited up and wading into the lake. They clenched small breathing units between their teeth. Honor watched as their heads disappeared under the water.

  The small salvage droid followed them, floating in the air. It was dull silver, with a circular head and several arms dangling beneath it that made it look vaguely like a jellyfish. Each arm had a different tool attached to it. It sank into the water. If the archeologists found anything useful, the droid would haul it up.

  Time seemed to drag on. The archeologists sent up short messages to Derek’s Sync to say they’d found something metallic and were working on it.