“Gods be damned. Fucking beasts.”
Warlord Tazo’s fist slammed into my jaw. I pulled him off the wall and attempted to wrestle him to the ground, lock him in place.
No such luck. Equal to me in strength, he used my momentum against me until he was on top of me, striking, over and over, with his massive fist.
I flipped, dragging him down with my thighs wrapped around his torso. I struck him in the jaw once. Twice. We grappled for superior position, our bodies slamming into the medical bed, knocking it over.
My mate screamed as Doctor Surnen lifted her out of the way just in time to avoid injury.
Her cry enraged him. “Mine! Kill you!”
Mine? Again? What the fuck was going on here? I didn’t want to kill him. The look in his eyes was focused, intent, not crazed. Even more important, he was a friend. “Tazo! Stop!”
“Mate! Mine!” His bellows rose in volume as his knee connected with my abdomen.
“Fuck! Stop!”
“Miiiiine!” So much for control. His beast became wild, beyond reason, seeing four males around her as a threat he could not tolerate.
Fuck. Did he truly believe this female, my mate, was his? Did his beast intend to fight to the death to claim her? To take her from me?
Why was my beast not infuriated at the thought?
Using all of my strength, I braced my back against the medical bed and wedged my feet under Warlord Tazo’s frame. With a mighty heave, I thrust with every bit of power in my legs and sent him flying across the room.
His back hit the wall. A crater formed at the point of impact—inciting another curse from Governor Maxim —and he fell, landing in a crouch on one knee. His beast’s quiet snarl filled with deadly intent.
I stood and held my hands up in front of me, palms out, as I transformed back to my normal form. The beast didn’t put up a fight, went quietly. That was a fucking first. “Tazo, the female is not in danger. She is here for a medical evaluation after a Hive attack. Stand down.”
“Hive?” He rose, his chest heaving, fists clenched. Thank fuck he was listening. “Kill Hive. Where?”
“I already killed them. They attacked her on Earth. I brought her here, to The Colony. Doctor Surnen tended to her. She is here for medical treatment. That is all.” I should be arguing, telling this beast she was my female, my mate, mine to claim. Strangely, the moment the fighting stopped, my beast went cold and silent.
Warlord Tazo took several deep breaths, his entire body shuddering with the immense effort I knew he made to control his beast. He turned from me to the doctor. “Hurt?”
Doctor Surnen cleared his throat. “Miss Linton suffered bruising around her wrists and ankles from the Hive restraints?—”
Warlord Tazo growled. The doctor paused but resumed quickly.
“The ReGen wand healed them quite easily. She is in perfect health.”
“Hive.”
“Dead,” I assured him, again.
“How many?”
“Three soldiers.”
“Soldiers!” His roar caused my mate—or perhaps, not my mate—to make a small, gasping noise. At the sound, Warlord Tazo stalked toward her. Doctor Surnen looked at me and I gave him a small nod. Tazo was fully in control of himself now. I had no doubt he would not hurt the female.
The doctor moved aside, leaving her to stare at the giant beast who knelt before her.
“Warlord Tazo. Mate. Mine.”
She looked around the room, from the doctor to Governor Maxim, Ryston, then to me.
“He believes you are his mate, Larkspur Linton of Earth.”
