“What about this one?” Cambree muttered as she exited the dressing room. “I’m not sure it fits, plus the color is awfully bright and will draw attention,” she commented as she walked toward Lorne.

Lorne wasn’t allowed in the female changing rooms and was sitting in a chair the clerk brought for him. He’d been there so long his ass hurt.

As he’d feared, he was now a glorified babysitter. For the past week, he followed Cambree as she went about her daily life. At least they were out of her office, he amended. He wanted to slit his wrists the second they entered the stuffy building where she worked. He was a Maáhes knight trained to soar the skies, patrolling for Buggane and other Unseelie scum. His dragon loathed confinement. Not to mention the mundane conversations that abounded amongst her co-workers.

Cambree was so different than the other females at Montoya & Monzingo. She was reserved and kept her mouth closed, even when a spiteful co-worker, Sheila, commented on Cambree’s suit. Lorne would never understand females and their pettiness. He’d seen nothing wrong with what Cambree was wearing, yet Sheila callously asked if she’d changed cleaners.

Lorne was utterly confused by the comment until Cambree tugged at his jacket and whispered that she hadn’t changed. Sheila’s snobby retort was she should because the establishment obviously shrunk the material. That told Lorne everything he needed to know about the rude female. Her passive-aggressiveness was uncalled for and absurd. Cambree was far from overweight. Yet, here they were during her lunch hour, shopping for new clothes.

It didn’t take much time for him to figure out why Cambree’s parents requested protection for her. She was insecure, introverted, and vulnerable. After Lorne arrived at her home, it took hours before the female said one word. Since then, she only spoke when she had to, like right now. She needed an opinion, and he was the only one available.

“It’s blue. Not as dark as the one you wore to work this morning, but it looks the same,” Lorne replied as he checked her out. It was difficult to get a full glimpse of the garment as Cambree stood there biting her thumbnail with one arm crossed over her chest.

“Right,” she mumbled without removing her thumb. “So, it’s too small. I’ll grab a bigger size,” she muttered as she walked away.

Lorne watched her slender hips sway, wondering why she walked hunched as if trying to make herself invisible. No one knew she was a Tuya. The mark identifying her was hidden by her clothing. Besides, he was there to protect her.

Her self-esteem couldn’t get any lower, but Lorne saw more than a timid, apprehensive female. Cambree was intelligent, articulate, and very professional. And, she was good at her job, even if it bored him to tears. Numbers and taxes were as foreign to him as cars on Earth, but her position was vital to the company. Hell, Lorne used her firm every year, relying on them to handle his taxes.

He chuckled as he recalled the saying on Earth about only two things being inevitable; taxes and death. The sentiment was accurate on Khoth, except for the latter. They were immortal for all intent and purpose. Cuelebre lived forever unless beheaded or pierced through the heart, but their society ran on taxpayer money just like most civilizations. There was no way to have a government that offered services without the funds to support it.

Lorne shook his head as Cambree walked past him with a different suit in her hand. “I didn’t mean that you need a bigger size,” he told her honestly. “That one is fine. It compliments your brown eyes. You look good in it.”

Pink stained her cheeks, and she ducked her head to her chest. “You don’t have to say that,” she mumbled before she hustled through the racks of clothing.

He wondered the last time she received a compliment from a male. Cambree wasn’t beautiful, but she wasn’t ugly, either. In his opinion, all females were pretty. He assumed it was their genetic makeup that made them soft and appealing to males. Lorne heard enough comments from his fellow Maáhes to know that some preferred their females with more meat on their bones while others preferred less.

Lorne didn’t discriminate when it came to body sizes. He was no sket like Blaine, but he enjoyed female companionship frequently. His only preference was the female have large breasts. His dragon was addicted to boobs. And damned if he wasn’t trying to see what cup-size laid beneath Cambree’s suit. Maybe he was a sket, after all.

She wore jackets to work, and robes over her pajamas at home. She walked around with her arms crossed over her chest, so he hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of what she had to offer.

It was all kinds of fucked up for him to be ogling her bosom when he was tasked with keeping her safe from horny dragons bent on forcing her into a mating.

Lorne shook his head and forced his gaze to his lap, and the latest reports on the Unseelie King. His gut told him the Buggane and Cyril were on the move. The evil bastard had been uncharacteristically quiet for the past year. Not that Cyril was highly visible before, but Angus’s return to the throne changed the game, and the male was in hiding it seemed.

Lorne was the best at detecting hidden patterns, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the next attack. They needed that information to protect their citizens, but that wasn’t the only pressing issue. Legette continually asked Lorne his recommendations about the best places to take the offensive. Everyone wanted to hit the Unseelie where it would hurt most. Tiny jackhammers took up residence behind Lorne’s skull as he tried to decipher the Unseelie’s next move.

At least he wasn’t contemplating Cambree’s bra size any longer. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted by her feminine attributes. Lorne acknowledged it wasn’t so much about Cambree as it was his need for release. He did a quick calculation and realized he hadn’t been with a female in almost a month. That was unheard of for Lorne. Typically, two weeks didn’t pass without a female in his bed. He needed a brief break from babysitting so he could arrange a hook-up with one of his regulars.

Lorne tossed the paperwork aside. He would try again later when his head was in a better place and scanned the store, noticing it was busier than he would’ve expected during the work week. Most citizens on Khoth held a job, and he presumed they were on their lunch breaks, as well.

Unemployment among Cuelebre was less than three percent. He credited Angus and Legette for that. Angus set the stage when he discovered the natural resources on Khoth and used them to build and sustain their city, Duamutef. Legette managed to keep the Buggane from stealing those resources while Angus was away, but much of their land was destroyed. The ruined land was Cyril’s city, Osiris, and the area between the two was where the destitute dwelled. It was dubbed Penuria.

He recalled Mack’s surprise at the existence of poor, homeless dragons. Lorne wasn’t sure what the female expected, but like Mack’s home planet, Khoth had individuals that were at the bottom of their financial system. Not everyone could be rich and live in fancy homes.

Climbing to his feet, Lorne stretched and looked at his watch. They needed to leave soon. How long did it take Cambree to change outfits? Perhaps he made her uncomfortable with his comment.

Lorne paced back and forth outside the dressing rooms and wended his way between the racks of silky, feminine clothing. He fingered a white top and thought how the soft material was the total opposite of the protective leather knights wore. That was another thing he liked about females. The soft fabrics they wore complimented their tender flesh.

A soft breeze blew his long blond hair, and he looked up, wondering if he was under a vent. He didn’t see anything but felt another gust of air. His head darted back and forth, scanning the area. An open door at the back of the store caught his eye. It was marked Employees Only. Could a staff member have left it open? Seemed that would be against store policy. Something was off. And, Cambree was taking entirely too long in the dressing room.

“Excuse me,” Lorne said to a nearby clerk. “Can you go check on the female I’m here with and tell her it’s time to go? She’s going to be late getting back to work.”

“Sure thing,” the female replied and hurried through the doorway. He heard the clerk calling out as she knocked on several doors. Several minutes passed then the female walked out of the dressing room. “There’s no one in there. I think she left without you.”

“Thank you,” he muttered and watched the clerk walk away.

Instinct kicked in, and he replayed every being he’d seen, heard, or smelled in the store since they’d entered. A dozen different females had come and gone, some accompanied by males, but only one raised Lorne’s suspicions.

Lorne hadn’t seen the male but smelled him near the back door earlier. The inconsistency didn’t register until that moment. The store sold female clothing, and every employee was female. There was no reason for a male to be anywhere near the back door.

His feet were in motion a heartbeat later as Lorne pushed aside racks and raced toward the exit. Something had happened to Cambree while he was sitting on his ass, doing nothing. He cursed that he left her vulnerable.

His hands hit the door, and he ignored the clerk yelling, “Hey, you can’t go out that way. Stop!”

Lorne stood in an alley between buildings. The scent of urine and decay overwhelmed his senses as he scanned the area for a hint of Cambree.

The tall buildings shielded the worst of the sun and cast shadows throughout the area. He took off to the right, hoping to find Cambree as he tapped the com device behind his ear.

“Legette. I have a problem. I need help in the alley behind Dahlia’s Folly. Cambree was taken,” he barked.

Lorne ignored the curses echoing in his ear as he sped around a corner. After hitting a dead end, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. A sharp left, and he hit another side alley. His skin prickled as he started down the path. The buildings were closer here and little of the day’s light managed to get through.

A few feet ahead, Lorne spotted a scene that made his blood boil in his veins. A male had hold of Cambree’s arm. The blue jacket from the store was torn, one half on the ground and the other hanging at her wrist. Her white blouse was ripped open and hung off one shoulder, revealing a black dragon. Her Tuya marking.

Any male would know she wasn’t claimed given the color or her mark. Once mated, it would become the color of her chosen male’s eyes. Her thin frame trembled as she stood motionless. Her eyes were screwed shut, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Guilt swamped Lorne for being distracted by stupid bullshit while she was being kidnapped. The dragon appeared to be middle class, judging by his attire. Probably held a manual labor job given his muscular frame. All brawn, and no brain, Lorne surmised as he stalked toward them. Dumbass picked the wrong female to mess with.

“You’ll like this, I promise,” the male muttered in Cambree’s ear, making her whimper and shake even harder.

The male was far larger than the fragile female in his arms, and judging by her missing shoe and torn stockings, Cambree hadn’t come willingly. There were scratch marks on his neck and one of his arms. Lorne was glad to see she put up a fight. The bright red mark on her left cheek told him the male shut that shit down with one solid fist.

What possessed a male to think he could treat a female like that and get away with it? Historically, females on Khoth were coddled and protected rather than used and abused. It baffled him that so many had succumbed to savage behavior to get what they wanted.

He could never imagine being so desperate for a mate and children, forcing a female to conceive a child then bind her life to his. Securing an heir was not worth the cost to another being.

Lorne allowed a partial shift, so his wings were released, but quickly reconsidered. The narrow alley didn’t let him to spread his wings and take flight. Redoubling his effort on foot, Lorne called out, “Leave her the fuck alone.”

“Lorne!” she called out and opened her eyes. The second her terrified gaze landed on him, his heart twisted. He saw sheer hopelessness in her brown eyes, and then she quickly looked away.

It was then that his eyes scanned the rest of her. Her skirt was hiked to her hips, and blood trickled down one leg. Her purple panties were lying on the filthy ground. The male’s pants were open, and his hard shaft was barely visible from their current position. Lorne panicked, afraid he was too late.

Urging his legs to move faster, he reached for his knife then stopped short of tossing it at the male. If he threw the weapon, the male could turn and put Cambree in its path. He couldn’t take the risk.

The guy pulled Cambree in closer and thrust his groin at her. “She’s mine. Leave us alone,” the soon-to-be-dead prole replied.

“No,” Cambree whispered through trembling lips.

“You’d better get that nasty sea donkey away from her, douche-dick,” Lorne snapped and leaped through the air. He landed behind the couple and wrapped his arm around the male’s throat.

The male was stronger than Lorne anticipated and managed to wrench Lorne’s arm and duck underneath. Too bad he couldn’t run with his pants down and his junk in the wind, Lorne thought as he shouted, “Stand back,” to Cambree. He quickly tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it at Cambree. “The Maáhes are coming,” he assured the frightened female.

Lorne watched her pick up the clothing and pull it over her head while he circled the male.

“Look. I didn’t know she was yours,” the idiot confessed, trying to weasel his way out of a brutal beating.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s mine, or not. She doesn’t want you or your toxic seed in her body. What the fuck kind of prole are you?” Lorne spat.

The male sputtered and grabbed his pants with one hand. Lorne didn’t give him a chance to set things right. He charged toward him, fists landing in a flurry across his face and chest. The male fought back and managed to land a few good punches.

Cambree cried, out and Lorne looked over to see if she was alright. The male quickly grabbed a metal pipe and shoved it into Lorne’s shoulder while he was distracted. Blood spurted, and Cambree screamed louder.

Grabbing hold of the makeshift weapon, Lorne yanked it out of the male’s grasp and tossed it away. The sound of wings echoed at the end of the alley, and Lorne watched the blood drain from the male’s face. Lorne ignored his fellow knights and focused on the shitbag in front of him.

“I can’t wait to have a ringside seat at your hearing. King Angus is going to rip you a new asshole for what you’ve done, and I’m going to enjoy watching you cry like a little bitch,” Lorne promised.

“No. You’ve got it all wrong. She only said no once, and then I talked her into it,” the male insisted.

“Yeah, I can tell by her torn clothing, bruised face, and the way she’s trembling. She wanted you to do this,” Lorne gritted through clenched teeth. His anger rose as the words spilled from his mouth.

Lorne lowered his good shoulder and ran at the male. He lifted when he hit flesh and kept running until the male hit the wall. The dragon crumpled to the ground like a deflated balloon.

Lorne proceeded to kick the male repeatedly in the stomach. At first, grunts and cries left his mouth, but soon blood was flying with each blow. The disgusting piece of shit intended to rape Cambree, hoping to get her pregnant. Red filled his vision as he kicked with every ounce of strength.

A strong hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, startling Lorne. He jerked to see Legette quickly lift his hands in surrender as Lorne pulled his fist back, ready to punch.

“Hey. He’s not moving. You can stop now. Leave something for Angus,” Legette stated.

“Make sure he fucking pays,” Lorne growled as he walked away from the male and headed toward Cambree.

“I am so sorry. I had no idea you were missing. I failed you, and would understand if you want me replaced,” Lorne murmured as he approached Cambree.

“I just want to go home. Can you take me?” Cambree asked. She looked even smaller as she stood there cowering in his big t-shirt.

“Yes, of course. And, I promise, nothing like this will happen again,” Lorne vowed as he wondered how much longer he would be protecting her. No doubt her parents would insist on a replacement.

A job he considered glorified babysitting turned out to be anything but, and he sucked at it. Guilt ate at his stomach as he led Cambree out of the alley. There was no way he could ever make this right for her.

Lorne wanted to ask her if he arrived in time, but couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He saw the blood on her thighs and her torn panties on the ground. He would never forgive himself if the male impregnated her.