Page 3 of Taken By the Barbarian King

“Help me! Help! Please!” I scream, struggling against my captors again.

“Put down the dog! And let the woman go!” one of the police officers yells but he too is probably in disbelief at what he’s seeing. “We… we have the building surrounded. There’s no way out.”

These blue barbarians don’t appear to have any weapons on them, not any that I’ve seen at least. They’re trapped, they’re caught. It’s over.

But they don’t release me. Instead, the guy holding the dog grunts loudly, and suddenly the air shimmers and the world disappears.

two

. . .

Thundar

"The princess is on board, Your Most Brutal Highness." Hailar, my second-in-command, crosses his arms with a proud puff and bows.

I nod at him with a grunt and the captain takes us higher outside Earth's atmosphere, and from there into hyperspace. It won't be long before we reach Aysgoth. It won't be long before I'm done with this charade of a ritual.

"Where?"

Hailar folds his arms again in a sign of respect before he answers.

Sometimes I wish he'd drop the formalities. We've known each other since we were children, wrestling in the courtyards of the palace. But Hailar comes from a long line of royal warriors and he takes his role as my lieutenant very seriously. Too seriously. He doesn't need to treat me like a prince every single time, at every single question. But it's tradition. And where would Aysgarthians be without their damned traditions?

"The wenches are preparing her and the room for your arrival."

I grunt again.

Everything is going according to plan. Everything is proceeding like clockwork.

Good, because the less time I waste on this drak the better. I've got more important things to do than abduct, court, and marry a woman. Like getting back to my duties as the Crown Prince of my planet.

"Grrr." I let my frustrations out in a snarl, and the captain, seated in front of me, jumps.

I narrow my eyes and stare at his back. He’s new to the Royal Command but that’s no excuse. I can't have any Aysgarthians–a captain, no less–getting scared by nothing. We have a name and reputation to uphold after all.

"Five minutes!" I growl at Hailar and stalk off the bridge.

The ship’s crew stands at attention as I pass them on the way up to the officers’ quarters. I slap my hand on the panel beside the door and escape into my quarters. I let out a heavy sigh and fall into my bed.

I close my eyes.

Five minutes.

Five minutes before… before my life changes.

I sigh again at Hailmak's familiar chirp and open my eyes just in time to see him drop from the ceiling and onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

"Little drak!" I curse at him, but I give him a scratch between the ears anyway.

His chirps get even louder and he nuzzles up against me. The vibrations he emits reverberate through me and I scratch him harder.

"This is the last time," I warn him.

He knows he's not supposed to be in here. And the ventilation ducts should be secured in case of spies or assassins, but this little mutt still manages to sneak in here like he owns the place.

I grab the phalanx bone from the plate on my bedside table and throw it across the room. Hailmak chases after it and brings it back to me like the obedient mutt he is.

"Enjoy this now, because it's over. You hear me?" I wag my finger in front of his face but all he does is smile, open his eyes wider, and chirp, nodding his head at the bone.

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