by Abella Ward
Gylden suppressed a shiver. He had been avoiding thinking about that since they left the network station. He had been a gladiator his whole life… He was good at it, as he had just proved. If he wasn't going to be a killer, what was he?
His hand drifted to Bianca's stomach, and he was bolstered once again. He was going to be a good mate to his mate, and a father to his child. He managed a small smile. There was no reason to be afraid… He was going to figure out who he was, and it would be glorious.
Chapter Twelve – Bianca
Would the warlord welcome them, or would he turn them away since they had the Rayne Five bounty on their heads? Bianca docked the ship, nerves churning in her stomach. Although maybe that was the morning sickness. Did it hit this quickly?
"Regretting the decision to give up fame and public adoration for this?" Gylden asked, the stress in his voice making his joke fall flat.
Bianca still smiled at his attempt. "Never. Well, it's time to face the music."
Gylden nodded. He held his hand to her, and she gratefully took it. Her hands trembled as they lowered the gangplank. The gladiator's sword was strapped to his back, a sign that he didn't want a fight. But the sight that greeted them as they exited the ship had them freezing. Half a dozen T'shav stood in a circle on the docks, all holding broadswords.
"Surrender your weapon and submit to a body search," one of them demanded, eyes narrowed.
Bianca's own T'shav pushed her behind himself, drawing his weapon quickly. He planted his feet firmly. "Not a chance."
"Gylden, please. They're our only chance." Bianca put her hand on his shoulder.
He gave her a tortured glance, then reluctantly lowered his sword. As soon as the first T'shav on the dock started up the gangplank, however, the sword was back in an attack stance. Their 'welcoming' party all tensed. Bianca twisted her hands. This was heading towards yet another battle. And if they didn't find Sanctuary here?
"Gylden," Bianca started again, but before she could plead for him to lower his weapon again, a seventh T'shav strode between those already there. He was tall and strong with a few grays in his black hair. Bianca stared, but not at him.
What surprised her was the human woman that accompanied him. The woman stopped at the foot of the gangplank, and the new T'shav turned to the guards. "Put away your weapons. These two are welcome here."
To Bianca's surprise, the other T'shav sheathed their swords at once. The human smiled up at her and Gylden, taking a small step forward and raising her hands.
"You don't have to be afraid of us. I'm Lisa, and this is my mate Zon. Welcome to the Sanctuary."
Bianca moved past Gylden. He tensed, but she put a reassuring hand on his arm before continuing. She stopped just in front of Lisa. This was the first human to have been woken up as a human in this strange world. The first human to take an alien mate and have an alien child. Bianca swallowed, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.
"Hi," she said. "I, uh… I mean we, we're looking for… sanctuary."
Lisa smiled and put an arm around her. "We know. We've been following the events that the Rayne Five Network has been presenting. We were actually preparing our son and a few of his friends to go pick the two of you up."
Gylden joined the two of them. He held his sword pointed downwards. When Zon stepped up beside Lisa, his hand held out, the gladiator reluctantly passed the sword to him.
"This will be returned to you after your assessment," Zon assured him.
"Why were you going to look for us?" Gylden snapped back, eyes narrowed in distrust.
Zon's black eyes glittered with a look Bianca couldn't decipher. "It has been Lisa's personal project to stop the gladiator games for almost a decade now. I have a lot on my plate keeping this Sanctuary safe, but we both believe you could be useful in ending the games for good."
"But only as far as you are comfortable with," Lisa added. She gave Zon a half-glare. "You are here first for your safety and peace of mind, not for my projects. You will be given time to adjust to life here before I present my proposal. And should you decide that you would rather not – which I would not blame you for – then we will find other ways for you to contribute to the Sanctuary."
"I don't want to fight," Gylden said. "I'm not going to kill anybody again."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Zon said. "Because there is no fighting or killing permitted within the Sanctuary. If you do end up fighting, then you'll be exiled. It's as simple as that. But there will be time for you to learn all our rules. Right now, we need to get you both to our medical facilities and checked over."
"And there are all the legalities we're going to have to deal with, considering they're technically slaves." Lisa looked disgusted when she said the word. "Not that we're going to hand you back over to them. But it is going to take some finagling to get the Rayne Five Network to back off without the threat of a warship or two going to sort it out."
Zon smiled at Lisa as though she was the sun to him. It was the same sort of smile that Gylden always gave her. She leaned against him, turning to give her mate a smile. He squeezed her, and when Zon started away, Lisa at his side, they followed.
***
The medical checkup showed that both of them were in good health and that the baby was strong and developing nicely. When the doctors showed her and Gylden the vague blob that the scanners picked up and told them it was their child, Bianca had nearly burst into tears.
She had never really considered having children. There had been boyfriends in her past who she was certain that she did not want to have children with, but she had never thought about when she would actually have children. Now that she was pregnant, she was over the moon with happiness. And when she saw how happy Gylden was, well, that made it all better.
"These quarters are just temporary," Lisa told them as she showed them to a tiny room with a bunk bed and nothing much else. "These are usually reserved for troops, but unfortunately we just don't have any other rooms available right now. But your assessments ought to be processed within a standard week, and various occupations will be suggested for you. And you always have the option of going back to school, if that's what you want. By that time, we should have found a permanent place for you to live."
Bianca smiled at her. "Thank you. For everything."
Lisa nodded at her and slipped from the room. Gylden glanced around, looking a little wary, but when his gaze landed back on Bianca, a grin lit his face. In an instant he had her in his arms, kissing her deeply as he pressed her against the wall. Bianca giggled, kissing him back.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what's brought this up?"
"It just hit me. We're here. We made it. The network won't get their hands on us again, and we're free from being in the public eye. My life is mine. Forever and for good. It's mine. And I have a family. You and me and the baby. I have a family. And I'm not going to lose you again."
His tongue breached her mouth and Bianca laughed, pushing herself harder against him. For the first time in a long time, she was utterly at peace.
*****
THE END
Tied to the Barbarian Warrior
Description
I’m tied to a demanding and bossy alien. And there’s nowhere to go…
Kara is the assistant coordinator to the Argarian Ambassador. When she covers for the Ambassador’s daughter Nariya by taking her place in a meeting, she has no idea what the consequences will be.
Before she knows it she is tied to a barbarian warrior. He’s arrogant, demanding and bossy.
And handsome, strong and hot.
Commander Arazor is the head of the Elite Galactic Force on the planet Agrion. His alliance with the Argarians will be symbolized by his marriage to their Ambassador’s daughter. It’s a political deal, nothing more.
He didn’t count on being betrayed. On being tied to a human.
But there are more important things at stake. Nariya has been kidnapped and Kara needs to bring her back.
A
razor has no choice. He has to accompany Kara. He’s bound to protect her. Even if that means traveling across the universe into dangerous territory.
Even if it means letting her change his cold heart…
Even if it means dying for her…
Prologue
She reeled from the sharp pain searing her head. He had hit her again, this time almost breaking her nose. She blinked as bright lights blurred her vision amidst the darkness about to engulf her. Something warm trickled down her nose and into her mouth. It tasted warm, salty, and metallic. She swallowed painfully.
“Please... stop...,” she begged him, her voice a mere gurgle. She was cowering on the floor, hiding her face in her arms, trying to block another attack.
“You fucking bitch! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Not a word!”
A wave of nausea hit her and she bent over from the blow. He had kicked her in her belly this time. It was too much. Sharp throbbing pain swept through her and she threw up.
Get up and run, Kara, or he will kill you... the voice in her head screamed. Yes... She should run. Run and hide far away from him... But try as she might, she couldn’t move a muscle. She had to get away from him. Now! Through blurry eyes, she saw him move away and grab something from the kitchen island. Oh no. He was coming at her again, this time with a bottle of vodka aimed at her head. She struggled to get on her feet, staggering backward. Her head reeled horribly, but she kept moving away from him. She reached the door... but he had caught up with her.
She awoke with a jolt. Sweat lined her forehead and her breathing was labored. Tears were streaming down her face. She was in her room. She was safe. He was nowhere in sight. It was just a bad dream... Just a bad dream... She hugged her knees, rocking back and forth, trying to calm herself down.
It had been almost a year since her divorce and she wondered when the nightmares would end. A throbbing headache was beginning at her temples. The nightmares were becoming recurrent and she wondered why. That fateful night, he had beaten her up so badly that she had run away from home and spent the rest of the night on a bench in a park. It was a routine matter. He would come home drunk and beat her. And that night he had gone completely crazy when she told him she was pregnant. She thought he would be happy to hear that they were having a baby, but her already breaking heart shattered that day. She had loved him. She had done everything to make him happy and he had never cared. She lost the baby the next day.
She couldn’t go to the police. There were no longer laws on Earth against domestic violence. The authorities considered it ‘a personal matter’. Divorce was the only option. She just wanted to be away from him-far, far, away. So she didn’t lose another minute when she received the letter for the new job opening. She got on the next spaceflight, Andromeda 13 as her destination, shutting out her past and leaving everything behind.
Taking a deep breath, she reached over and pressed a button on the bedside table. The blinds covering the huge sealed window slid open silently. She got out of bed and stared outside at the numerous stars that seemed stationary against the void of dark space. She was here on Andromeda 13. She was safe. This was real. She saw her own reflection in the glass: a woman with sad brown eyes and an ashen face stared back at her. She was far, far away from Earth, away from him, on this gigantic space station in the far-off galaxy of cosmos Redshift 7, light years away from Earth. This was her new beginning.
Chapter One
Earth Year 2560
Kara Frost gazed doubtfully into the sapphire blue eyes of the beautiful Argarian woman standing before her.
“Nariya... I... I don’t know, but please think again before you leave,” Kara said as she was fumbling with the communicator that she still used to understand and learn the Argarian tongue. She stared at the beautiful alabaster skin and ice blonde hair that glistened in the sunlight that was coming through the huge windows.
“Oh, Kara! You think too much,” Nariya said as she took Kara’s hands in her own and squeezed them. “I’ll be fine. Rezurn is a wonderful man,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
They were in Nariya’s chambers at the residence of the Argarian Ambassador. The Argarians were a race of ancient warriors inhabiting the planet Terrgius. A sophisticated race, they were modern and traditional at the same time. The Argarians and humans had been good allies for centuries now. The Argarian King had even taken a human as his Queen.
“How long have you known this man? Only a month?” Kara said, concern visible in her soft brown eyes. “Don’t you think you should get to know him some more before you run off marrying him?”
“I know him enough. And we’ll have the rest of our lives to get to know each other! This is my one chance to elope with him. Rezurn is waiting for me in a space ship nearby. I don’t know when he’ll be able to visit Terrgius again. He’s my mate, Kara,” she said resolutely.
“Listen, Nariya, marriage is not easy... You shouldn’t jump into it on a whim. Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s been ugly,” Kara tried again. “Think about your father. He’ll be furious when he finds out you have eloped with a Klai warrior.”
“I know, but Father will eventually understand,” Nariya said with a smile as she walked gracefully toward the huge bedroom windows. She wore a long, flowy pale green gown with intricate gold threadwork. She looked so young, ethereal, and other-worldly—all of which she was.
Kara felt her stomach turn to knots. Nariya had been friends with her since she started working a few months back and in the little time she had known her, Kara had learned she was a kind-hearted and simple woman. She felt Nariya was making a rash decision. She didn’t have a very good feeling about this barbarian Nariya was about to marry. The Klai had a notorious reputation.
Nariya had already packed her bags and was ready to go. Kara bit her lower lip and sat down on the chaise lounge. She wore a figure-hugging dark blue bodysuit that showed off her slender physique. Her long, dark hair was tied in a neat chignon. She was thinking long and hard. What was she going to do? She was the Assistant Coordinator to the Argarian Ambassador at Andromeda 13. She had trained extensively to earn the position and didn’t want to lose it at any cost. The Ambassador had assigned her the task of escorting his daughter, Nariya, to Andromeda 13 for an intergalactic meeting. Kara had reached Terrgius the previous night, and since the morning had been trying to persuade Nariya to drop the plan of eloping with the Klai warrior and go to the meeting instead.
“And what am I supposed to do about your meeting with the Vllar Commander?” Kara asked her. She would lose her job if she canceled the meeting. The Ambassador, Erzhun Dyadjin, insisted that it was a ‘very important meeting.’ The Commander of the Elite Galactic Force was a Vllar, a race of warriors from planet Agrion and the Argarians were forming an alliance with them. The Vllar were skilled fighters and merchants. Their planet was known to be the best in trade. Their most prized product was the Sirrallion, a rare form of metal native to Agrion. This meeting was something that could not be delayed or missed.
“You will go,” Nariya said coolly.
“What? No–” Kara began.
“You will go disguised as me. Here, take these robes. These are the finest that I have,” Nariya said as she took the robes from her wardrobe and brought them to Kara.
“But that’s impossible! They will know I am not an Argarian!” Kara said. She was starting to panic now. This was ridiculous. The Ambassador would surely kill her. “Plus I don’t even know the purpose of the meeting!”
“You can do this, Kara,” Nariya cut her off. “You just have to be clever. And don’t worry about my father–he won’t fire you.”
“I... I could represent you and make up an excuse–” Kara started.
“No. You will go there as Nariya Dyadjin. Make the deal, whatever they want, and let me know later,” Nariya said as she approached Kara. “Please, I know you can do this... You have the perfect looks. Just hide your ears,” she said, gazing into Kara’s worried eyes. She had ivory skin, long dark hair
and soft brown eyes. Some of the Argarians were like her. But her human ears would give her away. The Argarians had ears that swept slightly upward, giving them a pointed look.
There didn’t seem to be any way to persuade Nariya. Kara couldn’t shake the feeling that Nariya was headed toward danger, but she was too stubborn and in love to listen. Maybe pretending to be Nariya at the meeting would be better than canceling it altogether. There might be a chance for her to keep her job. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Okay, I’ll go,” Kara said, giving in.
Nariya walked up to her and hugged her. “I’m gonna miss you,” she said.
“Take care of yourself. And let me know when you get there,” Kara said as she took the robes. Nariya caught the sadness in her soft brown eyes.
Ten minutes later, Kara stepped outside and into the open field. Her mind whirling, she tapped the panel on her wrist and punched in the commands. “Computer: begin transport,” she spoke into her wrist. A second later, small glowing particles enveloped her as she vanished into thin air and reappeared on the Agrarian starship stationed above Terrgius’s atmosphere.
Once inside the ship, she settled into the cockpit and set course for Andromeda 13. Her heart raced madly in her chest. She braced herself for whatever was to come as the ship went into warp drive.
Chapter Two
Space Station Andromeda 13
Arazor Galather Vafiel, Commander of the Elite Galactic Force of the Agrion Kingdom, docked his ship at the designated port on Andromeda 13. He took one final glance at the holographic screen in front of him, checked his schedule, and then got up to leave. He just wanted to get this meeting over with.
