Page 14 of On a Barbarian World

“Calm yourself.” He closed the distance between them.

Aurina forced herself not to take any steps backward. “Who are you?”

“You are safe now.”

He was speaking English. The pronunciation was a little unique, but it was definitely English. How the hell did the people of some distant barbarian world in uncharted space speak English?

“Where are we?”

“My home.”

Okay. “And you are…?”

“I am Kavon Mal Dor.”

A bit of a mouthful, but it suited the size of him. “I’m Aurina Phoenix.”

“Aurina.” He drawled her name, like he was tasting each syllable. Then he fell silent for a second. “You are a skyflyer.”

He didn’t sound happy about it. “Yes, I guess I am.”

“Your…vehicle crashed.”

“I noticed.” She didn’t mean her tone to be so tart. She shifted and pain shot through her side. Air hissed through her teeth. It hurt a lot.

He reached out and gripped her arm. “Your injuries are still causing you pain.”

“Yes, Mr. Perceptive.” She bit her tongue, trying to breathe through the stabbing pain. Shit, she was supposed to be charming, not testy.

“I will call my chief healer to check you again.”

Healer? Great. When she needed a doctor, she got some barbarian healer instead. Unable to do anything else, Aurina sagged against the warrior and prayed she wasn’t going to be chanted over, or covered in slimy animals that sucked her blood. Clearly, his world wasn’t as advanced as she’d hoped.

She really was on her own.

“I need to get back to my ship.”

He frowned and urged her back toward the bed. “Your…ship is in pieces.”

Her stomach clenched. In pieces? She let him help her back onto the bed. God, if the emergency beacon was damaged, her brothers might never find her.

She’d be stuck here forever.

CHAPTER FOUR

Aurina thrust down her rising panic. E-beacons were made from the toughest materials, designed to withstand the worst of crashes. “I need to contact my family. They’ll be searching for me.”

Kavon urged her back against the mountain of cushions, and then crouched beside the bed. She shifted on the sheets. All that bare chest was a little too close.

“There is nothing left,” he said.

Her stomach did a slow turn. “Nothing?”

“And I forbid you to go out there. You are injured, and the Wilds are a dangerous place.”

She stiffened. “Forbid?” She shot to her feet, heedless of the pain. “No one forbids me, barbarian. I’m in charge of me.”

He cocked his head, his intense amber gaze tracing her face. “I claimed you. You are mine now, subject to my protection and my orders.”