Babe, Honey, Darling, I was a sucker for the classics and I really liked that he kept calling me Firebrand.I knew he was probably poking fun at my red hair but it made me feel badass and sexy all at the same time.
"Please stop talking."I was almost begging.Dargo was fucking with my head and I couldn't afford to like him, I couldn't let my guard down and I for sure couldn't do any of the things he kept suggesting.Penny and Hope needed saving and I was the only person that was going to do it.
"Fight it all you want, Firebrand."He chuckled, the sound obscenely sexy, as he jumped back up into the truck."I like a challenge, and I've decided you're the perfect female for me."
I glared at him, feeling out of breath, overheated and out-maneuvered.
10 Dargo
We found the camp bynoon the next day.The trip could have taken half as long, but I'd directed Taz in a zigzag pattern to draw out our time together.If she'd caught on she didn't say, but she'd been avoiding talking to me for the last several hours and I wondered if I'd pushed her a little too far.
I didn't expect her to accept my offers of sex, and I didn't plan on following through on them until she was properly claimed in front of all my brothers.But watching her face turn red and her breathing pick up was so enjoyable I couldn't help but throw out every thought that came into my head.
Taking a mate wasn't something I'd given much thought to while I was enslaved.My life had been a series of short brutal fights, the threat of death hovering on the horizon no matter how many matches I survived.
I'd never expected to be free, and I'd taken comfort from the camaraderie of my fellow turochs.But I'd heard all the stories.There wasn't much to do between fights other than spin tales of home and mates.Turochs took great pride in the pursuit and gentling of their mates.
Every mated male told the story of their gentling in bold, graphic detail whenever prompted.I'd never touched a female but I knew the inner workings of claiming a mate almost as well as I knew the rhythm of a battle.Those stories had never held more than a passing interest to me before meeting Taz.
Now I was frantically trying to recall every memory I heard of those lauded tales.I planned on trying every single thing I'd heard with my female.I still didn't understand how the bond between mates could ever surpass the connection I felt to Adak or the other males I'd fought with, but I was starting to understand the appeal of having a female.
Especially one as bold and charming as my Firebrand.
Taz parked the truck in a clump of bushes and turned the engine off.When she didn't get out, I craned my head around and peered through the dusty window of the cab.My soon-to-be mate was clutching the steering wheel and muttering under her breath.
I didn't know what her plan was from here.I could smell the burning of fuel chips and the scent of turochs just past the crest of the hill, but I doubted Taz wanted to drive straight into camp.She still saw us as a threat, and she wanted to save her friend from Adak's clutches.
An entertaining thought, considering that Adak was the most peaceful, honorable male I'd ever known.I'd fought beside him in the Pit for years, and no matter how many lives he was forced to take, he'd never once lost himself to a blood rage and never enjoyed the violence.
There was no place on this planet safer than at his side.There was also no way a creature as small as Taz was going to steal his mate away from him.
Taz's friend was in no danger, no matter what my female thought.There'd be plenty of time for her to realize we weren't the enemy but I was enjoying our little stand off and I wasn't ready for it to end.
The slam of a door pulled me from my thoughts and I watched as Taz stretched and surveyed the landscape.
"They're over the hill?"She confirmed.
