Page 72 of Protected by the Alien Warrior Triad

“Death or mercy – and those three have none. They have a deep hatred for us ever since Hadone… No, it is not my place to say.”

His words hurt. The man I’m falling for is going to have to fight a bare-handed battle to the death. It’s sickening. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now. Forn is a warrior, born and bred – but battling against mindless Scorp is different than facing a member of your own tribe; especially with your bare hands.

I know that even if my triad survives, they’ll be forever changed. There’s only so much violence you can met out before it seeps into your soul; especially when it’s violence against your own people.

I can see the good in these men. If they fight tomorrow, they might lose that – or even all trace of their humanity. And as for Hadone… I don’t know what happened, but I must trust that he will tell me.

I swallow hard as I stare out at the jungle. I might have only one night with these men – but I intend to make the most of it. I ache for their bodies, and I want to give myself to them. I want to feel them inside me, using me, taking me, protecting me. I want to be filled by them; one after the other, and even at the same time.

I run my hand against a huge palm tree, looking for any clue to what could have caused the sickness in the Scorp-Blood tribe. It’s useless, though. All my mind can imagine is the sight of the fish-eaters beating Forn to a bloody pulp while I’m helpless to do anything but watch.

If they kill my men, I will kill them.

The thought feels alien in my mind, but I know it to be true. If Darok, Hadone and Forn do not survive the battle tomorrow, I will find a weapon and cut the throats of the fish-eating triad myself; before they can do anything to me.

“Why are they called the fish-eaters?” I ask idly, trying to distract myself from the dark thoughts of what is coming.

Forn snorts. “They do not hunt the great beasts of our planet. They prefer to stick to the rivers and fish. There’s no shame in it, but I’ll not miss a chance to twist the knife and mock them.”

There’s the tiniest hint of a smile on Forn’s lips, and I feel glad that I could distract him for a moment from the horrors of tomorrow.

I want to distract him more. I want to give him my body, so that for the time we’re tangled together, he has no thoughts except pleasure and need.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,”I finally admit, as we continue walking and I search through all that I’ve learned, to try find some clue to the origin of the sickness. I’m unable to make any sense of it.

“You’ll find it,” Forn reassures me. “I know it, as certainly as I know that youaremy fated mate. You’ll save our race.”

My whole life has been turned on its head. Just a week ago I was eking out a living in an illegal chop-shop. Now all that is burned down.

Likewise, I did my best for the orphans that I was taking care of, tryingto get them on a straight and narrow path so that they’d not have to live a life like mine. Now, the children are safe - and I have three men who would fight and die for me.

I hope desperately that they’ll survive; but I fear that they’ll be forever changed by the experience; and lose everything that has made me want to be with them for the rest of my life.

There are nearly a hundred sick and dying Aurelians back at that cave, who desperately need me to uncover the secret of the deadly sickness. I have a purpose now. I can’t go back to the way things were.

“I’ll find a cure, Forn. I’ll find it,” I promise, and suddenly I’m confident. I know that I was brought here for a reason. Forn is right. This was not just a fluke. This wasnotjust a coincidence. Maybe it was not the Orb-God of the Scorp-Blood tribe that brought me here, but something did – and I do have a purpose here.

Forn’s answer is a kiss. His huge lips meet mine, and he inflames my body with passion.

He breaks off the kiss, staring at me with those huge, green eyes. “Come with me,” he says, his voice a command. I follow him out of the jungle and into the twilight. The pregnant sun slowly sinks beneath the horizon. I know that I might only have one night with these beautiful warriors.

The other two Aurelians have set up a small shelter made of trees they’d torn down with their bare hands. There’s a smaller lean-to near it that was constructed separately for Diana.

Hadone and Darok come from the shelter as if they could sense me approaching. The moonlight reflects off the marble skin of the tragic warriors. Their bodies are tense from the day’s conflict, and I know that the same thing is on all of our minds:

This could be our last night together.

I feel so small and helpless as the warriors walk towards me. I will never understand what it is they see in me that keeps them so utterly obsessed, but the mirrored expression on both Darok and Hadone’s face is clear:Ownership.

Forn kisses my ear, whispering words in his hot voice, but even with the amulet I can’t focus. I have no idea what he says, but it inflames my body with deep lust. The cool night breeze washes over me as Hadone stands before me too, towering above me like a Greek God. Forn wraps his arms around me protectively, and I feel his hard cock pressing against my back, so ready and hungry to claim me.

My nipples harden into desperate peaks. Darok presses in front of Hadone, and now his lips press down against mine. At the same time, Forn nibbles at my ear. The three men are as one, and I feel no jealousy in their movements.

They want me…

They want to share me.

“Oh, Gods,” I murmur in the common tongue as Darok breaks off the kiss. The way he looks at me drives me insane. His eyes are focused on me, unblinking, filled with absolutecertainty.He knows he can force me against the ground and overpower me. All three menknowthat they are stronger than me, and their dominance is natural and radiating from their bodies.

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