Page 19 of Devin
Kave knocked him to the ground twice, and each time waited for him to get up. This was not punishment. There was no anger in Kave's movements. Every punch and kick was designed to counter and knock Devin back down on his ass until he had no energy to get up. The third time Devin hit the jungle floor, the rage in him ceased and he was able to accept the grinning warlord hovering over him without the urge to get up and punch Kave in the face again.
"Good?" Kave asked.
"Fuck you," Devin said without moving. Kave just laughed and offered him a hand. Devin couldn't bring himself to take it. He scrambled up. Everything hurt, but the pain was quickly dulling, his Mahdfel rapid healing preparing him for morebattle. Tomorrow, his busted lip and bruised ribs would be nothing but a memory.
"I will not take a mate," Devin repeated.
"That's exactly what Athen said," Kave countered.
"Send her back," Devin demanded.
"We'll just give it a few days. You should talk to her. She's very pleasant," Kave said, staring back at Jane and Zenik’s quarters.
Devin knew the words were designed to inspire his natural jealousy, goading him with the thought that any warrior would go near such a tempting mate. But his natural instincts had been beaten out of him for the night. Now, he just wanted to get back to his quarters, sleep to accelerate his healing and get back to work building his city. He only had to get near the door to know that Val had been installed in his cabin and was sleeping in his bed. Despite the beating he’d taken earlier, his cock stood out as straight as the confines of his shorts would allow.
He would not let the warlord win. Devin turned, punched a code into the force fence and opened the gate that led to the future city grounds. He would sleep here, under the stars in the footprint of his masterpiece, and if something came and ate him during the night, it would be all the warlord's fault.
Chapter 11
Val
After sleeping in a prison bed for forty-two days, Val fell asleep in the oversized alien bed far too easily. It was the most comfortable thing she'd ever slept in, despite the warning that her husband-to-be or not-to-be might return at any time. Jane didn't seem to be worried that he'd hurt her. In fact, Meadow had hinted quite a lot that he might be hornier than fuck and ready to get it on the moment he found her there.
Val really had never contemplated having sex with a stranger before. Even when she'd been close to homeless, she couldn't imagine letting one of those assholes pay to take advantage of her body. The whole idea made her shiver. But this was different. The only payment he could offer was security, and as Meadow had repeated, absolute assurance of fidelity.
Mahdfel men didn't sleep around. They might be big green and well-endowed, but once they made up their minds to mate with a woman, that decision was permanent. There was something appealing to that. And despite having only met him for all of two minutes, Val knew that he was damn sexy. She wanted to see if those swirly tattoos continued down into his shorts.
When she woke up, the room was empty and the light was just dawning in the sky. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't asked about the number of hours in a day. The fact that had just hit home was that this was not Earth. She was on the far side of the galaxy on a planet with alien creatures and apparently full of pregnant women.
She didn't recognize the one standing at her door with two bowls of something. If she had to guess by the apologetic look on her face, this was probably Humility, Kave's wife.
"I brought you some breakfast, considering I missed the introductions last night," the woman offered.
"Humility, right?"
"That's me. Kave’s ridiculous plan that brought you here is partially my fault. Usually, he tells me when he's about to do something this stupid."
Humility sat down at the table, settling her large belly into the chair with care. Val joined her in the other chair. Breakfast was some sort of yogurt and berries, though the yogurt had a tang to it that Val could not identify, and she was pretty sure that the neon purple raspberries did not grow anywhere on Earth. Of course, since the invasion, many new species had been introduced, but those delicacies were generally reserved for the people who could shell out cash without blinking at the size of the sum, and Val had never managed to work at a bar with that kind of swankiness in its customer base. The berries were tart and a delicious complement to the creamy flavor of the yogurt.
"Did he tell you that I stabbed him when we first met?" Humility said casually.
"No."
"Surprising. He tells everyone that. He'll show the scar if you want. Kave pretty much says anything that comes into his brain, so don't tell him any secrets. But he won't make a promise unless he can keep it."
Val nodded.
"He promised me that he'd see you were taken care of, even if Devin continues to be stubborn."
"I don't want to go back to Earth," Val said with a little more urgency than she intended.
"Jane said you were in pretty rough shape when you got here." Val wasn't sure if Humility was fishing for more information or just stating facts. Val really didn't feel like giving any answers. She just nodded.
"I think worst case scenario, we can ship you over to the main camp and send you to Etlon with my sister. I'm sure they'll find someone for you there."
"Your sister?"
"Another one of Kave's fun, well meaning but poorly thought out side plots with it'll-all-work-out-in-the-end moments. You see, he poisoned me nearly to death, then told everyone I was dying and that my family needed to join us immediately. He got a special dispensation and my dad and sister transported out only to find me back already in perfect health."
