Page 3 of Guardians

He finally shook away whatever was holding him motionless. “The most dangerous place on this planet is right here,” he insisted. “There are over two thousand hybrids on this planet. Only sixteen are female.”

Lexie felt her jaw drop and quickly closed it. She’d known the gender ratio was disproportionate, but she’d had no idea itwas that bad. Two thousand strong, healthy males and the vast majority had not had access to females for three and a half years. Kane wasn’t exaggerating. Fights and jealousy, perhaps even kidnappings were almost inevitable. Were the leaders on Earth doing anything to resolve this problem or had they washed their hands of the entire situation? Unfortunately, Lexie was pretty sure she knew the answer.

This also explained why Kane was insisting that the females bond with a coalition rather than one male. It wouldn’t completely solve the disparity, but it would make the situation better.

“We can protect our females,” Babcock insisted, his face tilted up haughtily.

“Really?” Kane mocked. “I easily climbed your fence and walked through your entire camp. No one thought to stop me or even question who I was and why I was here.” He shook his head like a disappointed parent. “None of you are ready for the challenges of this planet. The environment is much more hostile than you know.”

“How many are in each coalition?” Tara digressed. “All you’ve said is you live in small groups.”

“The average is three,” he explained. “There are several with only two and a few with four or more, but three seems to work best.”

“Three mates,” Tara muttered then shook her head. “We would besharedby three aggressive males?”

His chin lifted and annoyance gleamed in his eyes. Tara had clearly struck a nerve. “Do you have a better option? The females in our camp have adjusted to coalition life quite easily. Would you like to speak with one of them?”

“Don’t bother. This entire thing is ridiculous,” Tara decided. “We’ll keep to ourselves or you can assign us guards. There has to be another answer. I’m not signing up for a male harem.”

“The choice is yes or no.” His pale blue gaze swept the crowd, lingering on Lexie for a long, electric moment before moving on. “Aren’t you tired of being cold and hungry? Accept the protection of one of our coalitions and all your needs will be met.”

A tingle raced down Lexie’s spine and lodged between her legs. Her core clenched and her clit twitched, making her press her thighs together. She had needs all right, but at the moment she wasn’t thinking about food. She pictured Kane pressing her down into a warm, soft bed and urging her thighs wide. He pinned her arms above her head and stared deep into her eyes as his cock found the entrance to her body. Her inner muscles stretched around him, forced open by the unrelenting penetration. Suddenly others were there as well. Someone fed a cock into her mouth while the other bent to suck on her nipples. She’d never been with more than one man, but being shared, being completely overwhelmed was a frequent fantasy.

She dragged her gaze away from Kane’s handsome face and forced the fantasy from her mind. Were all the hybrids this intriguing or was there something special about Kane?

“I’m not going to spread my legs to fill my belly,” Tara insisted, sounding utterly incensed. “I’ll work just like the men. In fact, I’m a better worker than most of them.”

“Joining a work crew is not an option,” Kane stressed. “Females must become mates.”

“Never going to happen,” Tara volleyed.

Kane’s eyes narrowed, but one corner of his mouth lifted into a subtle smirk. “We’ll see if you still feel that way in a week or two.” With that parting shot, he shifted his attention back to Lexie. Their gazes locked and he moved closer, a lot closer.

Lexie refused to back up. She would not cower like a frightened schoolgirl with the entire camp watching.

“I know the faces of most of your companions,” he said as he reached her. “But I don’t know you.”

“I’m a consultant. I worked remotely,” she offered, but said nothing more.

“What’s your name?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly, struggling to maintain eye contact. “Like Tara, I won’t trade my body for food.”

“Her name’s Lexie,” Tara provided with an annoyed look.

Lexie cringed, realizing that she’d said Tara’s name without realizing it. “We’d love to find another solution, but sexual servitude isn’t an option.”

“Sexual servitude?” The phrase made Kane chuckle. He leaned in and inhaled deeply as if to analyze her scent. “I’m talking about a committed relationship. You’re the one who is cheapening it.”

Awareness arched between them, an electric current that made Lexie shiver. Her breasts felt heavy, the nipples beading of their own volition. And her clit tingled as if begging for his touch.

“One week in my bed, Lexie, and you’ll become my willing slave,” he whispered, his warm breath teasing her ear.

“You’re an arrogant pig,” she insisted as her body ached. “I’d rather freeze to death.”

“We’ll see.” He nipped the side of her neck, dragging a startled cry from Lexie, then stepped back and disappeared into the trees.

Lexie absently rubbed the spot where his teeth had pressed into her skin. The subtle mark had long since faded, but she could still feel the teasing pressure of his bite. Male lions often bit while mating. Some believed the pain triggered a hormonal reaction in the female that increased the chance of conception. Others hypothesized that the ritual simply allowed the male to withdraw his barbed penis without retaliation from the female.

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