Kol
His mate denied him. That had always been a possibility. His Penny was a willful spirit. Stubborn. He admired those qualities, but he never thought he’d stand before her and she’d deny their connection.
He had agreed to wait for her to claim him. He agreed to her rules. When she gave herself to him physically, he assumed that was her claiming him.
Foolish male. Terrans were not so easy in their affections. She gave him her body—luscious as it was—but she withheld her heart.
He had much to learn about Terrans.
Kol nodded briskly. “I will hold you to your promise of a date,” he said before withdrawing.
He did not wait for Penny to answer. She would honor her obligation. He knew her well enough to be certain of that.
“What did he mean?” Jasmine’s grip tightened on Penny’s arm.
“Not now, Aunt Jas. Kol, wait.”
He kept moving. As he moved past the other occupants on their cots, he caught snatches of their conversation.
“Who does he think he is? Sniffing around after us girls?” an unknown female asked.
“I bet he kidnapped her,” a second female replied.
“Did you see her stomach? I saw the nurse change her dressing and she is fucked up. Seriously. I bet he did that to her.”
“God, I know. How gross would that be?”
“I dunno. I hear they’re good in bed,” a third voice chimed in.
Penny struggled to her feet, lurching from the cot to the next, holding onto the frame for support. It pained him to watch his mate struggle, so he turned his eyes away.
“Vadi Kol, if you walk away from me I’ll… I’ll never talk to you again!”
That caught his attention. Penny might do just that.
“And you,” she turned her attention to the gossiping females. “Don’t you talk about my man that way.”
His heart swelled. Her man.
“I’m sorry, Kol.” Her steps faltered. He caught her in his arms. He led her back to her cot, letting her walk because he knew she would protest if he carried her. “I should have told everyone the truth about us.”
“I’m your male.” He leaned down, bumping his forehead to hers.
“Yes.” She smiled up at him.
“The truth about what?” The warlord loomed behind his mate, face in a frown. Kol bit back the urge to push Penny behind him, to hide her away from his warlord and father.
“I claimed Kol as my mate.”
All the conversation in the room stopped and every set of Terran eyes were on them. Penny stood defiant to them all, chin held away in that stubborn way hers.
The warlord narrowed his eyes before shooting an accusatory glance to his son. “Is this true?”
“You heard my mate.” Kol refused to feel ashamed. His mate claimed him, for all to see.
“No male may claim a female until the Suhlik are removed from Earth, according to the treaty. Your actions have violated the treaty.”
“Yeah, about that,” Penny said, moving to her cot. Kol picked her up and arranged her carefully on his lap, his arms around her waist, mindful of her wounds. She gave his shoulder a friendly pat. Not the affectionate gesture he wanted from his mate but good enough for the moment. “I’ve read the treaty a few times, more than a few, and it’s pretty specific about how and when a woman is tested to be matched. She has to be old enough, healthy enough, single and no kids.”
“I am familiar with the terms of the treaty,” he said.
“Right, and a male can only claim a woman he’s been matched to.”
“And no matches will be made until the war is over, which is why Kol’s transgression is—”
“Perfectly legal,” Penny said, confidence in her voice. “I claimed Kol. Nothing the treaty says a human woman is prohibited from claiming a Mahdfel male, warlord.”
A smile flickered briefly across the warlord’s brutal face. For a moment, his features softened and the warlord became Kol’s father, Vadi Ruh, a persona he saw seldom and only in private. “Call me Ruh, if we are to be family. However, to ignore the genetic test—”
“I’m sure it’s very important, but I don’t care. Kol’s mine. I’ll take the risk.”
Kol stroked her back. “I would still like to take the genetic test, if only to know how close a match we are.”
“I don’t care about that,” Penny said.
“I do. You are far too precious to lose in a risky pregnancy. If we never had children, so be it. I can accept that. I can never accept a life without you.”
Her smile brightened. “Big Red, you gigantic softie.”
The warlord slapped Kol on the back. For a moment, a father’s pride shone through. “She has the mind of a diplomat,” he said with approval.
“And the heart of a warrior,” Kol agreed.
Penny tilted her head up, lips soft and sweet. He knew that look. She wanted a kiss. He was happy to oblige.
Ruh thumped Kol hard on the back. “Your female remains here until the medics give a satisfactory report.”
“And you?” she asked Kol.
“I remain with you.” It was decided long ago.