Page 16 of The Naga Warlord’s Virgin Mate

We came to an abrupt stop and I heard a soft susurrating noise coming from behind Krashe’s wide shoulders. He angled his head down toward me and his eyes seemed to glow a brighter red than normal as he glared. “How did you know that?” And now we were back to being suspicious of each other, great! Good job pissing off my one ally.

I shrugged my shoulders and wished really badly for my wheelchair to retreat to. If only I could be mobile on my own, this wouldn’t feel so awkward. It wouldn’t feel so much like I was walking a tightrope when navigating conversations like this with him. I’d have a way to retreat, or at least move on my own, instead of being stuck up close, right in his arms.

“They were there at the shuttle wreck first. Pulling me and the other girls out of the stasis pods and to safety when the wreck started to sink.” Krashe’s firm, nubbed eyebrows climbed up, which was impressive, considering how rigid they were. “Then your Clan attacked and I was separated from the rest. One really big blue guy and Kalani went into the river, and I was left behind on the river bank.”

I flashed back to that moment with a shiver, and it drew Kiwi down from Krashe’s shoulder. He made some soft cooing noises and curled up against my chest. Spreading his wings as if he was hugging me. That was so darn cute, but I realized that Krashe wasn’t to be outdone by the little dragon. He raised me in his arms and nuzzled his face against my temple and hair, “This Kalani, you worry for her?”

Yeah, I did, but it felt more like I was mourning her. There was just no way she had made it, or that blue Naga. There had been so many spears and arrows thudding into the water. They had to be Swiss cheese after that. I still nodded. How could I explain to him that I’d only known that girl for all of thirty minutes, and it still felt like she was one of my biggest role models? She’d just had so much confidence and so much beauty shining out of those eyes. It was her that was making me feel like I had to live to the very best of my ability right now. It was her that made me feel like I couldn’t give up, because she’d promised me I’d be alright. I had to make that true somehow.

I felt better after that nuzzle and hug though, and it made me realize that while Krashe and I didn’t see eye to eye on certain things. He did care for me and that was a good base to start from. He was talking out of ignorance, but that could be fixed, and that was going to be my goal.

“So where are we going?” I asked, waiting quietly. If I could choose, I would want to look for the other girls, but right now they were with the blue Naga, the friendly ones, they were safe. It could wait while I figured this thing out with Krashe. It kind of felt nice to know that it was just the two of us for now, three if I counted Kiwi.

“I know a place where we might be able to find something that could help you walk again,” Krashe said casually. He seemed completely unaware that he’d just dropped a nuke on me, my mind struggling to comprehend what he was even saying. Walk again? What? No way.

On Earth, it had been an option. Surgical repairs could be done with a lab-grown spinal cord, or chips could be implanted to bridge the break. That kind of repair work cost a lot of money though, and my family hadn’t been able to afford it. It would be utterly crazy to think that such technology could exist on this planet. But as the thought sunk in I realized it wasn’t as insane as one might think, the Naga had once been able to build spaceships after all, so why not spinal repair devices?

“Krashe, do you realize what you are saying? Wouldn’t that be technology? Isn’t that against your rules?” Why was I poking that damn bear again? Here he was offering me a miracle on a golden platter and I was going to talk him into changing his mind? I was crazy! I might have adapted to my injury, I hadn’t been unhappy exactly, and I had learned just how strong my mind and my will were thanks to it. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t grab onto the chance to walk again with both hands if I could.

It was silent for quite some time, Krashe had picked up his speed again, zigzagging his long, sinuous body through the tunnels. I still couldn’t tell how he knew which way to go but he never hesitated at any of the crossings we happened on, steadily moving in the direction he wanted to go. I felt completely turned around at this point and everything looked exactly the same.

“It is technology that heals… That can’t be bad, can it?” he finally offered thoughtfully. “It will make you safer on Serant, it is a dangerous planet. My Clan,” he paused and took a deep breath as if what he was about to say came from a difficult place. “If you were Naga, they still would have rejected you, because of your injury.”

I shuddered and felt a little sick to my stomach hearing that, but I wasn’t all that surprised. In my eyes, I had an extra handicap to overcome, but I was still fully functional and capable. To a primitive and rather zealous Clan like Krashe’s, I was probably a weak link they didn’t think they could afford. I wanted to bare my teeth and snarl at that, I wasn’t weak, I was strong, and I was useful.

Then doubt struck me, as paralyzing as the injury from the car wreck. I was being lugged around in Krashe’s arms, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him if he put me down, even though I was strong enough to use my arms to cross a distance without my braces or wheelchair. With my wheelchair though? I was sure I would have kept his pace.

“That just makes them assholes,” I said, and I was happy when that made Krashe huff out a laugh. I wanted to know more about this place he was taking me, but my mind was still spinning with the option, struggling to allow myself to hope that something like that could be true.

“It does,” he agreed, “I know you are perfect just like this.” And I lost a little more of myself to the Warlord right there.

Chapter 11

Krashe

It was nearly nighttime when I took Naomi through the last tunnel and carried her out into the fading sunlight. My breath faltered as I took in the sloping landscape and the thick canopy of purple forest that stretched out in front of me, it was a thin wedge of trees, bracketed by another ridge of a rising mountain slope. Where the land dipped down, everything flattened into the wetlands that were home to Copper Tooth, purple Naga that hunted the wetlands they shared with the fearsome Rakworm.

I always loved being above ground and I usually found as many reasons as possible to be away from the Clan and out beneath the skies. Sun or stars, I loved both. Bitter Storm had always been cave dwelling. Even some of our hunting and fishing were done in the many rivers that ran beneath the surface of Orshale Peak, for instance. But I’d grown up traveling above ground with my parents; I missed it when I was in the Hearth Caves.

This exit had brought us out on the other side of Orshala Peak, away from Thunder Rock and the coming war. It would allow us to travel into the unclaimed cold wilds to the north. I’d been there when I was small, traveling with my mother and father. It was unsuitable for what Bitter Storm needed, too cold, too sparsely inhabited by wildlife to help with our food shortage.

Worse, unmentionable machines of destruction wandered the cold lands, remnants of the past. Orshala Peak and Bitter Storm were the bulwarks against these monstrosities, keeping them out of the lands of the other Clans beyond our borders. To wander into the north without at least a couple of warriors to accompany us at this time of the year was dangerous, but it had to be done.

Going in this direction also meant that the Queen wouldn’t want to spare warriors to follow us, she’d count on the revenants to do the job for her, eventually. If I intended to stay in the north indefinitely, that would be true. Even I would eventually fall to their blades and their flying fire, simply because they would keep finding us and wear me down.

That wasn’t the plan though, I was only taking Naomi there to get her to the old ruins and the relics I remembered visiting as a child. As soon as I located what I remembered should be there, I’d turn us around and point us directly at the Shaman’s home. Artek was the only male capable of using a relic to help restore Naomi’s ability to walk and he lived on the threshold where three territories convened, Bitter Storm, Copper Tooth, and Thunder Rock.

I didn’t know yet what I’d find when we went to visit the Shaman. He was a male trained to use relics to heal, to function as a lorekeeper like my mother had, and like the Queen now did. Bitter Storm allowed him to live on their borders because his ability to heal even the gravest of wounds was just too precious. But I’d heard murmurs lately in the Hearth Caves that his presence was wrong, and that he should be taken care of like we took care of any other relics we found.

“Oh,” Naomi said softly, drawing my attention to her instead of my ever-busy thoughts. “It’s beautiful,” she said and lifted a graceful arm to point at the flatlands in the distance where the violet Serant sun was setting. A dazzling display of many shades of purple and pink painted the horizon, illuminating a huge herd of Vakarsa blanketing a section of the wet marshes. My stomach churned at seeing them, so much food that could fill so many hungry Bitter Storm bellies.

I’d only picked attacking Thunder Rock over Copper Tooth because I knew fighting in the marshes would give us a severe disadvantage. Thunder Rock’s territory was much more similar to our own, just more verdantly wooded and far richer in wildlife. Probably just as abundant as the Copper Tooth lands.

“It looks like a giant herd of bison, except I think they might be purple? That is amazing!” I liked hearing the wonder in Naomi’s voice at the sight of the massive herd of great, six-legged beasts. She was right, it was amazing to see them out there on the marshes, their wide, many-toed feet well-adapted to crossing the muddy ground as they grazed on the fast-growing reeds.

“Yes, the wetlands belong to Copper Tooth.” I added for her benefit, “They are a Clan of purple-scaled Naga, with a ferocious Queen. They are the only Clan on Serant that knows how to work copper to craft their spears from. Hence their name.” It had been a late-night debate for many warriors over the remnants of a fire whether their ability to forge copper meant they were crossing a line they should not cross. A moot point in my opinion when they readily scavenged for relics to use.

“So there are more colors? Are all the Clans split along the colors of their scales? Why?” Naomi asked, still gazing with admiration at the herd in the far distance. I started moving, we needed to put far more distance between us and Bitter Storm territory before I’d feel safe enough to make camp for the night. I already knew exactly what spot I wanted to reach and if I wanted to get any rest at all tonight, I’d better hurry.