Page 31 of Saving Lauren

I hear a siren blasting a deafening sound and I cover my ears with my hands. At the same time a light starts pulsing and smoke starts filling up the cell block. The lights are like a mixture of laser and strobe lights. The smoke makes it difficult to see, it seems its purpose is to disturb one's vision, but it only makes me cough.

I scramble to my feet as fast as I can. Once standing I rip a piece of fabric off my ruined pants and bind it across my ears to try to muffle the noise. It doesn't do much, but every little thing helps. I rip off another piece and tie it across my mouth and nose, to reduce the smoke's impact.

I look at my weapon and see it’s a bone. I do not want to know what creature has bones this big, but I am confident it will make an excellent weapon. Leaning heavily on it I reach into myself to find my calm, so I can be ready for anything.

I prepare myself and then I wait...

Something is happening on the ship and that something is making the aliens' alarms go crazy, but so far, it’s not getting into the cell block.

Then I hear crashing sounds from the right, where I think the exit is. I also hear screams and a terrifying roar. My inner bad-ass bitch is beginning to retract, and I kick her butt. No, I am going to be brave and face whatever is coming. My bond is pulsing, suddenly I am absolutely sure that D’Var is here. That fuels my inner bad-ass bitch and I take a couple of wobbly steps towards the door to my cell. Ready to pummel anything that comes near me.

Suddenly, with a terrible noise, the door to the cell block crashes open. The alarm abruptly stops blaring, followed by the sounds of gunfire, a piercing scream, and then... silence.

I lick my lips and I look at the hole in the wall where the door was. A shape forms inside it, I have to actively keep myself from peeing my pants. There’s a literal monster stalking towards me.

Tall, horned, muscled and when it nears me, I see it’s covered in blood. A menacing growl sounds, and the door is ripped out of my cell. It stalks towards me, and I lift the bone. I scream as I bring it down on the monster, but it just grabs it in his enormous claws, tossing it to the side. It grabs me by my waist and hoists me against him.

My bond is pulsing like crazy and then I see. It’s him. My D’Var.

D’Var brings a clawed finger up towards my face and caresses my cheek. Then he cups my nape and his mouth crashes down on mine in an all-consuming kiss.

I am startled and open up for him as soon as I feel his tongue on my lips. I put both my arms around him, leaning into him as he tightens his hold on me. All the fire that has been accumulating in me, all my anger, I pour it into this kiss. He is here, he came for me. I made it.

His hands caress my sides and one of them cups my ass and hoists me against him. I flinch in pain, but he seems out of control and somehow I don’t care. I kiss him back fiercely until his need is met and we are both panting in each other's arms.

When I look at him again he looks more like the D’Var I have gotten to know over the past few days. He gently brushes my hair from my face.

“L’Ren,” he croaks and then I let out a sob.

“You found me,” I whisper.

“I told you I will always come back for you, my Zarra.”

CHAPTER 17

D’Var

Iam shaking. My body is pulsing with the need to comfort her. My mate is safe in my arms. She is crying as I hold her. She has been so strong, attacking me with a bone club the minute I entered her cell. I gently grab her head with both hands and tilt it up, her eyes meeting mine.

“Are you hurt?” I ask as I wipe away her tears. She stiffens, then she nods.

“Where,” I growl, I cannot contain the anger in my voice waiting for her to flinch, she doesn’t. A strong, proud surge pulsing through our bond.

“My leg…” she begins and then she pulls away from me, grabbing my arm to steady herself as she shows her left leg to me. It is… mangled somehow. I let out a growl as I fall to my knees to examine her wound. Her skin is red and blistered, crusts are already forming, it seems like I am looking at some kind of symbol. I look up, murder in my eyes as I realize they have branded her, but she caresses my cheek.

“It’s okay, D’Var," she says. “I am yours, only yours.” I blink. What does this mutilation have to do with being mine? She must see the confusion in my eyes, because she continues.

“They… um… my old master sent them to get me back, they branded me with his house crest. But it doesn’t matter. I will never be his again," I growl, interrupting her as I stand, taking her hands.

“You will never be his again. This I swear to you. After we have killed all these filthy Sternotheri, I will go hunt this fucker and bring you his head. It is my vow to you, my mate, my Zarra.” My voice is rough with emotion, and I am struggling to maintain my calm, because I see red. They hurt her…

“We kept one alive for you, and for information,” O’Rec calls me through our link, I grin menacingly.

“Where are you?” I ask and after he answers I look at L’Ren.

“That was O’Rec, we are needed at the bridge.”

I sweep L’Ren up in a careful embrace.

---