Alien Paladin's Redemption - Mina Carter Page 0,63

and I follow the Lady Liaanas herself.”

Tavik did not answer that, perhaps unwilling, even in his fanatical belief in his god, to risk the anger of another. He tilted his head.

“You have claimed one. Haven’t you?” He chuckled. “Poor little Nyek, who wouldn’t touch any of the whores, finally found a female he’d be willing to shove his dick into. I bet she’s a pathetic, weak little thing. The best a runt like you could get.”

Nyek hid his smile as the jibe went so wide of the mark it was practically in a different star system. For a second he wished he could put Tavik and Indra in a room together. His fierce little human would make mincemeat of his brother with her tongue alone. Never mind what she could actually do with her blade.

But riding on the back of that thought came the absolute certainty that he never wanted Tavik and Indra anywhere near each other. Tavik was obsessive. Always had been. Whatever Nyek had, even something so small and insubstantial as a yaari berry, he had to have it. If he knew Nyek had claimed Indra, he would burn entire star systems to take her from him.

“I have claimed no female,” he said, lifting his chin in challenge and hiding the wrench of his heart at the lie. It was the only way to keep Indra safe. “The humans are small and unappealing. I admit, I was curious and succumbed to temptation, but none of them can hold a warrior’s interest for long.”

Tavik searched his expression in silence and then broke into laughter. “Jilan’s tits, you actually did. Didn’t you? You cold-hearted bastard. Well, if they don’t hold appeal. You will not mind handing them over. Will you?”

“That will never happen,” Nyek growled. “I made a vow and I will keep it.”

“Then you will die.”

“So be it. Goodbye, Tavik. May we never meet again.”

15

Unappealing… not hold a warrior’s interest for long…

The words rolled through Indra’s head in a sickening loop as she stalked back to the command center. To think she’d trusted Nyek… more than trusted him. She’d fucked the guy, for heaven’s sake. Had even been disastrously close to opening her heart to him. And now this. After all his talk of wanting her to belong to him, of wanting to see to all her “needs”… and he’d never intended for them to last. Like countless women before her, she’d been caught by a handsome face and pretty words.

Grumbling in the back of her throat, she dashed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Place is too full of fucking dust,” she muttered and stalked through the empty command deck. For a moment, she half hoped Miisan, the AI, would come back online so she could tell her what fucking jerks Latharian men were. Somehow, though, she suspected the alien woman already knew that.

Reaching the corridor beyond, she marched straight up to the door she’d seen Stephens and Keris go through. It led into a suite just like the one she had been sharing with Nyek, which she was so never setting foot in again.

Stephens looked up in surprise. He was sitting on the couch, rifle within easy reach. From the set of his shoulder and the way he looked at Keris, standing over the other side of the room, they’d been having a “discussion.”

“Come on,” she ordered, motioning to them both. “Let’s go get this flesh thingy booted up and get Keris a body.”

Stephens was on his feet in a heartbeat. “Hell yeah!”

Keris backed away a little. “No, the sub-commander was quite right. I am… an abomination. I should not even be in this body much less be granted a real one.”

“The sub-commander can kiss my fucking ass,” Indra hissed, her temper exploding through her voice. “He’s an asshole. Did you know he’s been talking to those pirates? He knows them. He’s been lying to us. All along. I bet he was a plant and he was going to hand that AI over all along.”

“What…!?”

She turned to find Seren and Gracie in the doorway, a look of surprise and anger already forming on the big Lathar warrior’s face. “He is Vesh. I should have known.”

“Someone is going to have to tell me what the fuck Vesh means someday,” Indra growled. “But not right now. One issue at a time and first we need to get Keris a body, before Mr. Fucking Traitor finishes what was started in there and destroys that machine.”

“Right behind