“They come.” The giant flexed his bruised hands. “Go. Find the female. She’s with young. Protect her.”
Surprised the man could tell such a thing, they nevertheless left with his terrifying battle cry hanging on the air. The sound of war faded behind them as they raced to find Mandy.Do you sense her?Zehn asked Lore for the hundredth time, his own mind filled with confusion, panic, and hope.
I…yes. Ahead. But she’s not alone.
They ran into Talzec, Xav, and several of their clansmen before finding Mandy.
Xav pulled them back when they would have investigated the noise ahead. “We have a scouting report. Humans and the Nasuhl are collaborating. We’re not sure why. But they have Mandy. She’s fine.” He yanked Zehn back when he’d automatically tried to charge after her. “We wait. Talzec is going in.”
We don’t wait. She’s our mate,Lore argued.
Agreed.To Xav, he said, “We’ll flank from the opposite side.”
Xav glared. “And wait for my signal. Use your head. Your mate and our leader are vulnerable. Do not engage and put them in harm’s way.”
Zehn knew the order to be sound, but he couldn’t contain the instinct. He moved like the wind with his bond-mate, circling behind the human encampment and taking out the Nasuhl guards, one by one, with swift, silent lethality along the way.
Once in position to finally see the landscape of their enemy, Lore asked,We’re not going to wait for Xav’s signal, are we?
No. But first we need to see what’s happening.
Good.Lore patted Zehn on the shoulder.There she is.
They stared at their naked mate. Mandy had a few bruises but nothing that looked seriously dangerous. At least, not on the outside. It helped that she was no quivering maid, crying in a corner. No, their mate appeared furious enough to scorch the humans and Nasuhl surrounding her.
Lore and Zehn exchanged a relieved grin.Our mate seems ready to kill. I’m so in love.
She is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.Zehn gave a mental sigh. Mandy, in a rage, and naked at that, turned him into a lusting beast. Better that than a worried male eager to jump into the fray at the possible cost of her life.
Mandy’s gaze lifted to their position. She glared, and the wordbaby?rang inside his and Lore’s minds.She just reached out to us!
I’m pleased our mate has finally communicated with us, spirit to spirit.Lore cringed.But I now think we have more to be wary of than our enemy.
Zehn swallowed a groan.You may be right.
***
Mandy could notbelieveher barbarian jackasses had given her their second seed when they’d promised they would leave the choice to have a baby in her hands. She was so angry she was surprised she hadn’t managed to blow up the camp. Between the mangy Nasuhl, their sadistic leader, Uftah—that bitch—and the Franciscos in all their criminal glory, it was a wonder she didn’t just quit and give up.
She’d never been surrounded by more evil than right now. Yet she felt the worry and love from her men in the tree line. They’d either scaled a tree or rested above the small clearing she was in, on those rocky ledges where the Nasuhl had supposedly set up watch.
She closed her eyes and drew on her calm. Not so easy to do when Mike slapped her in the face. She opened her eyes and stared at him, imagining him with half his face burned off.
He must have read her rage, because he quickly stepped back. “Very well, Morlo. You have delivered your promise. The girl for the weapons.”
Mandy glanced at the crates of pulsers and wondered what Mike thought he was doing.
Morlo, the apparent Nasuhl leader, smiled. Large, muscular, and nasty. He’d done nothing but swear and insult the Vyctore clan since she’d arrived. She could see why he was in charge though. He had a commanding presence, a lot like Talzec. But Morlo was the evil version, his gaze dark, his mien punishing and cruel.
She felt his unclean energy when he stepped closer, and she typically couldn’t sense too much unless she called forth her fire.
Uftah smiled at him, and the expression lightened her twisted features. Oh boy, the woman loved him. Talk about messed up. He snapped his fingers, and Uftah fell to her knees and crawled to his side. Unfortunately, she hadn’t yet cleaned up from her earlier encounter with Garnuk and the others. She looked and smelled disgusting.
Garnuk, who stood by Morlo, smirked at the fallen Nasuhl woman.
“You are a fitting concubine,” Morlo praised her. “On your feet, whore.”
She rose, smiling from ear to ear.
