Chapter Twenty-One

 

 

We’re walking on the stone path that twists through the forest, on our return to Tavarr’s family. The flowers on the trees along this particular route whistle in the breeze. My mate says they are called geerex omotos, which my language implant quickly translates to voices of the trees. I smile at the sight of a squirrel-like creature scurrying in front of me with three little babies clinging to her back. With the exotic sounds of the forest, the lush plants, and the interesting animals, this place feels wondrous and welcoming. Yes, I could live here for the rest of my days and be quite content.

With Tavarr at my side.

I peer ahead, admiring his brawny profile from behind. My face heats when I recall being restrained while he fucked me, my hands captured in the cuffs high above my head as he gripped my hips and pumped into me from behind.

He comes to a stop and strengthens his hold on my leash. Confused, I pause and glance around him, spotting a huge fallen tree blocking our path.

A ferocious growl shakes the trees and makes me gasp.

Then I realize Tavarr emitted the noise.

Fear slices through me.

He yanks me forward and wraps a protective arm around me.

Before I can ask what’s wrong, a tall Kleaxian male appears on the fallen tree trunk. Footsteps sound behind us, and I turn in time to witness two more Kleaxian males stepping out from the trees. Tavarr gives another growl.

Are they going to rob us? I can’t imagine what else they want. My mate always keeps a small bag of shimmering coins in his pocket. I have nothing of value on me. The bandits certainly won’t get much out of this.

“Disgusting human,” the man on the tree trunk says. He spits on the ground.

My stomach flips. I press closer to Tavarr, trusting he will protect me with his life.

With his life.

Oh my God. My heart hammers in my chest and terror fills my veins. Tavarr is a fierce warrior, and he’s larger than each of these men, but he’s still outnumbered three to one. If they all converge on us at once…

“You aren’t from this village,” Tavarr says, pinning each man with an assessing gaze. Sizing up the enemy. “And none of you are Kleaxian Warriors. You all have the build of a ten-year-old boy.”

Though we’re in a life-threatening situation, my mate doesn’t seem nervous. He’s standing tall, exuding confidence, and his eyes have turned black. I swallow hard. Will he fight all three of these males? I don’t like the way they are looking at me, their gazes dark with fury and revulsion.

“We are part of the Urulian Brotherhood.”

According to my translator, Urulian means pure blood. The back of my neck prickles and there’s a sudden chill in the breeze.

Pure blood can only mean one thing. They don’t approve of Kleaxians claiming human females, or females from any other race.

“The king disbanded the Urulian Brotherhood long ago,” Tavarr says. “All remaining members of the brotherhood are on the king’s kill list. I think you all know what that means.”

As I turn to glance at the two Kleaxians behind us, Tavarr lifts me and tosses me over his shoulder. Before I realize what he’s doing, we’re already halfway up a tree. He’s climbing at a rapid pace, jumping between branches, using only one hand to climb while his other hand is grasping my legs. I had no idea he could move like this.

He sets me down on a thick branch, near the very top of the tree. Taking my hand, he places it on another branch and says, “Hold on to this and don’t move. If you’re afraid of heights, sweet human, I urge you to not look down. You shouldn’t look down anyway. I’m going to kill them all.” He presses a kiss to my forehead and then disappears, jumping down from branch to branch at inhuman speed, until he reaches the forest floor.

Another growl shakes the leaves. I clutch the branch and peer below, praying nothing bad happens to Tavarr. He moves onto the path where the three Urulian Brothers are waiting.

The male on the tree trunk pounces on him.

Oh God, no.

I wish Tavarr had been carrying one of his blasters, but weapons are usually only carried by the warriors during times of war. At least the three outlaws don’t appear to be carrying weapons.

I hear nothing but growls and screams. Though I’ve never heard Tavarr scream before, I don’t think those pained shrieks belong to him. He rolls on top of the other alien and in an amazing feat of strength, grabs the outlaw by the head, twists it from side to side, and then rips it completely off. Blood spurts onto the white stones of the path.

Sickness churns in my stomach, but I don’t look away. The remaining Kleaxians converge on Tavarr, but the fight moves into the trees on the other side of the path.

Dammit. I can’t see a thing.

Part of me wonders if Tavarr directed the fight in that direction on purpose, because he doesn’t want me to witness the carnage. I can’t believe I once considered escaping to the wild to live alone, before Tavarr had a chance to claim me.

An agonizing screech rips through the forest. Seconds later, I hear it again. Then nothing but quiet. Deathly silence. The breeze turns even colder.

Tears sting in my eyes. Emotion tightens my throat. If Tavarr is alive, why isn’t he calling out to me? I open my mouth to yell to him, but no words issue forth. I’m too choked up to speak. Too worried I’ll holler his name, only to receive no reply.

A rustling in the underbrush catches my attention. I pull myself up on the branch, until I’m standing up and clutching onto two smaller branches above. A tall, skinny figure emerges from the trees. I gasp.

It’s not Tavarr. No no no.

I collapse on the branch. This can’t be happening. I tremble in my grief and try to keep ahold of the branch I’m seated on.

My world has gone dark. There is no light without Tavarr.

Tears coat my face and heaving sobs rack my shoulders. I can’t breathe. I can’t imagine ever climbing down this tree and joining a world that doesn’t include Tavarr.

He’s my heart. He’s my whole life.

Another scream carries over the trees, but I’m so deep in my sorrow that I don’t quite hear it, and I vaguely wonder if it’s only an animal.

The tree starts shaking, and the branches below are swaying. Someone is climbing it. The Urulian Brother who killed him, no doubt. I sniffle and brace myself for a fight. Maybe I can push the murderer to his death.

I seethe with rage and heartache. A scream tears from my throat and I kick at the hand that touches my legs.

Standing up on the branch, I yell and give another harsh kick, only to be grabbed and taken over the Kleaxian’s shoulder. I dig my nails into his back as he navigates down the tree. Blood rushes my head, and with my eyes still filled with tears, I can’t see anything but a blur of colors.

My flailing and fighting doesn’t have any effect on the outlaw. Sooner than I would like, we reach the forest floor.

I’m placed on my feet and immediately form a fighting stance, ready to punch the male who took my beloved mate from this world.

But kind purple eyes stare down at me, set in a handsome face framed in long black locks.

I gasp.

“Tavarr! It’s you.” My voice cracks. “You-you’re al-alive. Oh, thank God.” I throw myself at him and he wraps me in his arms. He’s covered in blood, but I don’t care.

He’s alive.

Pulling back, he cups my face and gazes into my eyes.

“Are you all right, my sweet human?”

I give a slight nod. “I am fine. What about you?” I inspect him from head to toe, but don’t see any wounds. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s not in pain. The other aliens got some hard hits in before he ended their lives.

“I am not injured.”

“I-I didn’t know there were organized groups of Kleaxians that don’t like humans. Are there many like them left?”

Tavarr shakes his head from side to side. Though his gaze is gentle, his muscles are still tensed and his nostrils flared. “Almost all of the members of the Urulian Brotherhood are gone. We have a sophisticated planetary scanner that has located most of them, however a few of them figured out a way to elude our technology. It’s said only a dozen are left on all of Tallia. Less than a dozen now. The king has all Urulian Brothers on his royal kill list, and Kleaxian Warriors are charged to extinguish any they come across.”

Relief fills me, knowing their numbers are small. Slowly, my nerves calm and I stop shaking. The animal noises in the forest return, the critters rustling in the underbrush and the birds singing and flitting through the trees. A sudden warm breeze prompts the voices of the trees to commence their singing, a sound that reminds me of violins.

“Come,” he says, leading me through the underbrush and around the fallen tree. I spy the fallen Kleaxian on the stones, the one I’d thought had killed Tavarr. His head is twisted at an odd angle. I shut my eyes and lean against my mate, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm myself further.

“Why do you think these men came here?”

“Dennian Mountain is a secluded place. They likely thought they could remain well hidden. I will contact Prince Kenan at once, and we will increase patrols in the area. However, even if there are any more Urulian Brothers around here, they will likely relocate to another mountain immediately for fear of being caught.”

“Do you know if they’ve killed any other human women recently?”

“They have not killed anyone recently, my mate. Don’t worry, your human friends are all right. If there would have been a murder, Prince Kenan would have called all his warriors to arms to search for the lawbreakers.”

I sigh with relief, the last remnants of tension leaving my body.

We come upon a stream, and Tavarr strips off his shirt and wades into the water. He motions for me to remain on the bank, and I watch as he cleans the blood off his body and clothes. I glance down at myself. Somehow, he managed not to get more than a small smearing of blood on the waist of my gown when he embraced me, and none of it has touched my skin.

His muscles gleam under a sheen of water as he emerges from the stream. He wrings his shirt out and throws it over his shoulder, his gaze glued to mine. Despite the violence I’d just witnessed, my mouth goes dry and my heart skips a beat.

He grasps the end of my leash and tugs it until I’m pressed to his wet chest. He cups my face and delves his tongue between my lips, tasting and claiming.

I moan into his mouth, and sooner than I would like, he breaks away. A primal gleam enters his eyes, a look that promises he plans to claim me later. Hard. Plans to remind me that we’re both still alive, and I still very much belong to him.

I can’t wait.