from me. She was leaving me intentionally to make her own way with only a titan stick for protection. And she was nearly out of sight.
Damn stubborn female. She did not know what she was dealing with here. This was Sector Zero, for fark’s sake! No female was left unattended. She was too valuable, too precious… too beautiful. Anyone would want her. Claim her. Own her. Whether she consented or not.
Hadn’t she learned that? If some alien found her, he’d keep her. It was as simple and lawless as that.
It wasn’t my job to protect her. Besides, she didn’t want my protection. Zara was free. She was choosing to go after Bertok. Alone. She was an Interstellar Bride. If the Coalition had any fighters in this sector, they would protect her, without question.
But we weren’t in Coalition space. Hell, there hadn’t been a Coalition fighter in this sector for over a hundred years. Odds were not good that one had taken a wrong turn back to his battlegroup. That he would make his way here and arrive just in time to save the beautiful female from a terrible fate.
“Fark.”
The lawless factions here were probably already searching for her. She was perfect. Soft, creamy skin. The long, curled hair. The defiance in her eyes. She could have passed for a Trionite, if pushed, especially with the gold collar and the outline of the chain I’d seen dangling between her nipples. Fark if that didn’t make me hard. But no, there was too much defiance in her gaze for Trion to have been her home. The women of Viken and my home world of Trion were submissive and soft. Fragile creatures that needed to be both pampered and protected. They loved to show off their bond, proud to have their mate’s medallion dangling upon a chain. Everyone could look upon her beauty—even in the throes of passion. Our females often enjoyed knowing they were coveted by others but could not be touched by any but their mate.
“Damn it, female,” I called, letting my head fall back, I stared up at the dome. “Stop. Do you want to be a slave? Tortured? Raped? Used?”
She turned on her heel to face me and placed her hands on her hips in a defiant gesture that made my cock harden with lust and my dominant nature rise to accept her challenge.
Perhaps this was why I had yet to be interested in mating a female. All the females I had met on Trion were meek, raised to be submissive, in bed and out. Mild. Tame.
This human was the opposite. How the fark had she been matched to Trion? It made no sense because here was a female worthy of being tamed. Claimed. Her submission would be hard won and worth the effort.
“You don’t even know where you are.”
“Enlighten me then,” she countered.
I took a deep breath, let it out and closed the distance between us. “Sector Zero. This outpost survives on a large planet called Occeron. It used to be full of life. But now, there’s no atmosphere. Battle with the Hive destroyed the planet’s magnetic field. The only thing that survives does so underground or sealed inside protective domes like the one above our heads.”
Her eyes lifted skyward. At least she was listening.
“This place is called Omega Dome. It was designed to hold three thousand inhabitants. This one shields five times that. While some might live here, all they do is survive.”
“Why are you here then?”
“Business.”
“Yeah, well, it’s my business to transport out of this snow globe and hunt down Bertok.”
“And how are you going to do that?” I didn’t ask what a snow globe was. I understood her intent.
“I’ll ask the slimy one.” She tapped the titan stick on the ground for emphasis, indicating exactly who she intended to make him talk.
Ah. So, she did intend to go after Jirghogis as well as the Trion Councilor. “That slime is poisonous,” I warned.
Her mouth fell open. “Then I’ll interrogate him without touching him, which I preferred to do anyway. He smells like a dead horse.” She shivered in what I guessed was revulsion as I had no idea what a horse was. I didn’t blame her. Jirghoghis was repulsive. “After that, I’m going to go to Trion and kill Bertok. Then I’m going home.”
Yes, my cock hardened at her daring plan. It was the intent behind it that made my balls ache. The surety of it. It was as if these kinds of obstacles were not