“They’re really pulling out all the stops, aren’t they?” Jane asked with a grin, settling herself into the seat next to Jess in the covered pavilion that had been set up next to the warriors’ arena.

It had been carefully cleared, the blood-stained sand removed and new sand carefully raked so the six challenge areas looked pristine. Seating had been placed all around the large rectangle, and long benches were interspersed with large seats for the clan leaders. Pride of place went to the raised and covered dais for the emperor, with the pavilion for the human women to one side as his honored guests.

“It seems that way, yes. Any idea what it’s all in aid of?” Jess asked, mustering a smile as she looked around. Guilt and frustration lay heavily on her. She should be going home, but since Daaynal had blown off her request yesterday, she hadn’t been able to get an audience with him again. He mostly appeared to be busy between “Imperial duties” and whatever today was about.

“It’s a tournament.” Cat joined them in a swish of silken skirts. As the wife of an Imperial prince, she’d almost totally adopted Latharian clothing, a jeweled tiara nestled in her dark curls denoting her rank and status. “In our honor apparently. The warriors will compete against each other as a showcase of their abilities. Daaynal is offering a couple of ships to the overall winner.”

“Shit, I should have entered myself. Just think what we all could do with a couple of Latharian ships…” Jane whistled softly.

With her marriage to a Lathar warrior, and her subsequent retirement from the Terran military, the former marine had also adopted Latharian dress. Instead of the silken robes and jewels Cat wore, though, Jane had gone for warrior’s leathers, teamed with her own combat boots and a tank-top. Her dog tags were gone, replaced with a set of octagonal tags on a chain.

All the women wore them, Jess’ own nestled next to her Terran dog tags, and they opened the weapons caches in the palace and on the ships of the K’Vass, as well as any of their allies. The Lathar had quickly realized that the human women they’d captured were not shrinking violets or damsels in distress. They’d all been personnel on a military base, so they knew one end of a rifle from the other, no matter what planet it had been manufactured on.

“Too right.”

The last of their party, Kenna, joined them. Like Jane, she was a dyed in the wool marine, so she wore leathers with her combat boots and a leather bustier top that made the most of her ample bust. She caught Jess looking and winked. “Keeps their eyes off my hands, and the blaster at my hip. Surprisingly effective on any man, even a warrior born and bred, especially when they haven’t seen proper women for decades…”

Jess chuckled. Trust Kenna. She was definitely the light relief in their party, and sometimes much needed. Before she could ask anything else, though, a fanfare sounded and the arena started to fill up. Warriors and robed and hooded figures, their courtesans, filled the seating around the main area, a sense of excitement filling the air. To their right, another fanfare rang out as Daaynal made his arrival. Instantly, the crowd were on their feet, shouting and cheering.

“The emperor hasn’t called a tournament for years.” Cat leaned forward so they could hear her. “It’s only open to warriors above a certain ability level, so we’re going to see the best of the best.”

“Karryl’s competing,” Jane commented, a proud smile on her face as warriors began to enter the arena.

“Fellow warriors and honored guests!” Daaynal’s voice rang out, cutting through the cheering of the crowd. “I bid you welcome to the first combat tournament on Lathar prime for decades. In times past, tournaments of this type were a common fixture at the palace, in the cities, right down to our villages… where the best warriors amongst us would compete to show off our skills and perhaps catch the eye of that special female to prove our worth as warrior and male. I do not need to remind you why such tournaments are no longer held.” There was a moment’s pause as his words sunk in, the enormity of the situation the Lathar as a species were in a sobering one.

Daaynal spoke again, sweeping his arm toward the sheltered pavilion the women sat in. “But… fate has smiled on us. Thanks to the discovery of the Terrans, a long-lost branch of the Lathar, we once again have the chance to show off our skills and abilities to worthy females.”

He gestured to the silent warriors on the sand in front of him. “Before you, you see the best of our warriors. They will fight each other both together and solo until only one remains. The winner will become the proud owner of two of the empire’s newest battlecruisers and, if he is lucky, may win the appreciation of one of our delightful ladies here today.”

Kenna leaned forward, waggling her eyebrows. “I’d sure appreciate the hell out of half this lot. Have you seen the bodies on these guys?”

Jess bit back a small smile, easily seeing through Kenna’s joking manner as she realized the other woman was doing exactly what she was—searching through the assembled men to find that one familiar figure. In Kenna’s case, she stopped as soon as she found the tall, broad-shouldered figure of the emperor’s champion, Xaandril, but Jess’ eyes kept searching.

Laarn was a healer, so perhaps he wouldn’t be here. She knew he trained, and could fight, but she wasn’t sure if he was considered a warrior anymore or if his position as healer took precedence.

“And for the first time, I have a personal interest in the outcome of this tournament!” Daaynal announced, as a gong rang and two warriors walked out onto the sands, between the rows already assembled. “My sister-sons have taken to the sands, one a warrior prince and, for the first time in two generations, a lord healer.”

The gasp that went around the crowd was echoed by Cat. “Shit,” she whispered. “He’s gone and done it.”

“What? What did he do?” Jess asked, her eyes drinking in the sight of Laarn. Like his brother next to him, and the rest of the assembled warriors, he was naked to the waist. She heard the whispers of awe and saw the way the warriors he passed looked at him and the scars covering his body. She knew what they meant, knew they marked his standing as the best healer in the empire, but all she wanted to do was kiss each and every one of them to remove the memory of the pain he must have suffered.

Cat’s tone was still shocked. “He’s officially named Laarn as Lord Healer. There’s no way he can wriggle out of it now.”

Unable to tear her gaze away from Laarn as he stood next to his brother—Hells, why didn’t he strip more often? The guy was ripped—Jess leaned toward her a little. “Why would he want to wriggle out of it? From what I’ve heard everyone already considers him lord healer anyway.”

“They do,” Cat confirmed. “But now he’s been named, it would mean he will be based at the healer’s hall here on Lathar Prime rather than being able to head off on one of the K’Vass ships whenever he wants.”

“Ahhh, I see.” Jess settled back in her seat, her gaze still riveted to the big healer in the middle of the arena as he bowed to the emperor and then turned and took a place at the front of the rest of the warriors next to his brother.

And she did. Laarn didn’t strike her as the type of man who liked his movements curtailed, so being restricted to a planet probably wouldn’t impress him any. At the same time, though, she couldn’t help feeling relieved. The Lathar were a warrior culture, as apt to fight amongst themselves for power and position as within the empire, so being on a ship was far more dangerous than being on their home planet. And, from what she’d heard, the healer’s hall was considered neutral ground. No one fought there, which meant Laarn would be safe there. Although she knew he was a warrior, the thought of him being in danger made her chest tighten uncomfortably.

As it was now, seeing him on the sands in front of her was okay, she told herself. This was a tournament of skill, not a battle. They weren’t seriously trying to kill each other.

“Before we start, warriors may take a moment to claim a token from their females to aid them in battle,” Daaynal offered, his arms spread widely to give the warriors on the sands permission to leave it for a moment.

As expected, both Tarrick and Karryl immediately broke formation to walk across the sands toward the pavilion where the human women were sitting, and Jess suddenly realized the purpose of the silken ribbons they’d all been given to wrap around their wrists by the servants upon sitting down.

“My Moore Cat,” Tarrick murmured, a smile on his lips as he came to stand in front of his wife. “If you would be so kind?”

Jess smiled as Cat stood, the elevation of the pavilion meaning she stood equal height with her taller husband, and tied the purple ribbon from her wrist around his upper arm. Swooping in for a kiss, he only stopped when he was jostled aside by Karryl even though there was plenty of room for all the women to stand at the front edge of the pavilion.

“Com’on, we don’t have all day and you’re not the only male here with a mate to impress.”

Tarrick chuckled, ceding his place to the big warrior as he beckoned to Jane. The kiss he bestowed on the tall marine was no surprise, but what did make Jess’ eyes widen was the fact that two men stood behind Karryl.

She had a brief glimpse of the emperor’s champion, Xaandril, whose gaze was locked onto Kenna as he stood in front of them. It was the first time she’d seen the big warrior look anything other than supremely confident as he held out his arm in silence.

But then her breath was taken away as the fourth warrior stepped out from behind Xaandril. Laarn. Two strides brought him to the edge of the pavilion, right in front of her. With a start she found herself standing at the edge of the platform in front of him.

“My lady,” Laarn said quietly, meeting her eyes with an unreadable expression. “I would be honored to wear your colors… if you find me worthy to.”

She couldn’t help it. Her gaze slid down his body, from the long unbound hair across his broad shoulders, over the heavy muscles of his chest and downward toward the cobblestone abs. Heat hit her broadside, swirling through her blood and settling into a hard knot between her thighs. Hell, he was gorgeous… and dressed in just warrior’s leathers, hot as fucking hell.

“I do.” Her voice breathy, she tried to untie the ribbons at her wrist but fumbled it. The knots tightened and she swore under her breath, trying to get them loose, but the edges of the ribbons had wound themselves around each other like a couple of mating snakes.

“Fuck it,” she hissed, trying harder to undo them. “Sorry about this.”

“Here.” He snagged a hand around her wrist and pulled her closer. “Let me.”

His long, strong fingers made short work of the knots. He pulled the ribbon free all too quickly and handed it to her with a small smile.

“Does it matter where I tie it?” she asked, sliding a glance sideways to see Kenna had tied her light blue ribbon around Xaandril’s wrist, just above his leather bracer.

Laarn’s lip quirked a little at the side. “No. The lady picks the location… as long as I don’t have to undress.”

She darted a glance up to meet his eyes, finding warm amusement in the green depths. The heat and arousal in her body hit fever pitch as she imagined peeling the leathers from his body.

“My eyes are up here, beautiful.” His soft murmur made her snap her gaze up to meet his again and her cheeks burned in reaction. Shit, she had so not been ogling him, right here in front of everyone, had she? The small grin on his face and the chuckle from behind her said that she had. Fucking hell.

“Come here.” She stepped in closer and reached up to quickly braid the ribbon through a section of his hair, tying it off in a knot rather than a bow. “There. How’s that?”

He inclined his head a little, the dusky pink of her ribbon a bright flash in the dark locks. “You honor me,” he said quietly, his fingertips brushing the inside of her wrist. “Later, if I prove myself in battle, I will claim another token. Perhaps one more… physical.”

Yes, oh hell yes. She didn’t get the chance to reply as he dropped her wrist and turned back toward the sands, dark hair moving like a cape across his broad shoulders as he went.

“Well… wasn’t that a turn up for the books?” Cat commented, a look of interest in two sets of eyes as she and Jane turned to consider both Kenna and Jess. “Seems you two have been keeping secrets, haven’t you?”

“Later,” Kenna cut her off, nodding toward the arena. “It’s all about to start.”

* * *

Laarn was on cloud fucking nine.

Not only had Jess given him her token, but she’d looked at him. Actually looked at him, at his body. The heat he’d seen in her eyes said she’d seen him as a man, not his scars. That look would remain stored in his memory forever and even now, as he faced off against the third warrior in his group, the memory was enough to send a bolt of lust through his body.

He growled as the male in front of him launched an attack so predictable he could have countered it in his sleep. How the male had gotten this far, onto the sands for a tournament, he had no clue, but one thing was for sure. He was leaving the competition right now.

Moving like a liras snake, Laarn sidestepped the clumsy attack and reached out as the warrior rushed past him. Two fingers jammed into the side of the male’s neck hit the nerve plexus and made the left side of his body less responsive. It wasn’t much, barely noticeable as he turned to face off against Laarn again, a snarl on his face. But against Laarn, it would make all the difference.

Everything around them—the noise of the crowds, the other fights going on in the other challenge circles, the fact that behind him and to his left Jess watched him—fell away as Laarn’s focus narrowed to this moment in time, to just the two of them and the circle of sand they stood in.

Fighting was like surgery. It required utter focus, dedication and skill. In the operating theater, he fought a one-man war against death or permanent injury, both far more fearsome opponents than the male opposite him. He was big-built, almost as big as Karryl or Daaynal, but heavier-set, the slight layer of fat over the carved muscles indicating a fondness for good food and wines.

Laarn didn’t smile. Instead, he lifted his hand and beckoned the warrior.

The bull-like warrior snarled and charged again. Laarn waited until he could practically smell the male’s breath before he launched his counterattack. Two running steps launched him right at his opponent, the move so quick the other male barely had time to widen his eyes in surprise before Laarn had planted a booted foot on his thigh. Launching himself upward, he arched back, snapping his leading leg out to slam it up and under his opponent’s jaw.

There was the sickening crunch of bone and a strangled sound of pain as the other warrior dropped like a stone. Laarn landed lightly on his feet, bringing his guard up immediately, just in case his opponent was still capable of an attack. But the male wasn’t… sprawled out on the sand with a stunned expression on his face.

Healers and tournament officials swarmed over to them. Two healers dropped to their knees next to the fallen man, quickly checking him over as one of the officials grabbed Laarn’s wrist to raise it and declare him the winner.

“No,” he argued, looking over his shoulder to where his opponent was still being seen to. “Brother, are you okay?”

He got a raised fist from the fallen man, just visible from behind the nearest healer, and then… a thumbs up. Laarn bit back a chuckle and made a mental note to check up on the warrior’s treatment after the tournament was over.

“And the winner is… Laarn K’Vass!” the official bellowed, holding Laarn’s wrist aloft.

The crowd nearby erupted into cheers but Laarn didn’t care about them. His gaze cut immediately to the pavilion where Jess sat with the other women. His heart leapt as he saw her rise to her feet, looking at him with a smile on her face as she clapped with the rest of the crowd. Their gazes locked and the smile dropped from her face as she looked at him. Even with the distance between them, awareness stretched taut and Laarn realized the inevitable…

When the tournament was over, she was his. He would claim her as every cell in his body ached to. He knew it, and now she knew it, a flush rising on her cheeks as she dropped her gaze from his. A smile curved the corner of his lips as he waited and, sure enough, a couple of seconds later she snuck another look at him from under her lashes, something he’d noticed she did often. Usually when she thought he wasn’t looking in the lab.

Later, he promised himself and turned to see who his next opponent might be. Before the officials could announce it, though, two leather-clad warriors approached the emperor, bots standing guard behind them. At the sight of the combat bots in the palace, Laarn straightened up. That wasn’t normal. One look at the expression on his uncle’s face told him it wasn’t and the situation was serious.

Daaynal nodded and rose to his feet, holding his hands out for silence.

“My apologies, ladies and gentlemen, but I am afraid I need to pull two fighters from the tournament. Lord Healer Laarn and Xaandril, my champion, would you please attend me?” he asked, indicating they should approach the dais with the throne. Laarn exchanged a look with the big champion as they walked toward the emperor, but the big man’s expression indicated he was as in the dark as Laarn was.

“Please… continue with the tournament. Lord K’Vass… you are excused from the tournament to preside in my place, with your delightful lady wife of course.”