Page 63 of Chieftain
“Duke Ako’s a bad guy, right? Wouldn’t it be better if he wasn’t in power?” I wondered aloud.
Khaion's hand came to rest in the center of my back, fingertips moving in a circular massage. It was a touch meant to comfort me, but I felt it tingle across my nerve endings, making my heart flutter. My mate gave a soft noise of approval and pulled me against his side. It was disconcerting how he knew exactly what I needed, just from the matching pace of our hearts. It was a sixth sense that made me wonder if this was why the mate bond was so preferred for the Vaktaire. It would take some getting used to, but I liked the idea of this type of intimacy.
"Duke Ako is known to have proclivities for human women, but he is not a bad leader. He holds a lot of sway with the planetary Alliance." The way Khaion's face twisted, I could guess what he meant byproclivities, but he seemed to hold a grudging respect for the Duke.
“Believe it or not, Ako is one of the biggest proponents of not invading your Earth.” At my shocked gasp, Charick’s expression morphed into something that might have been a smile. I wasn’t sure. I’d never seen him smile before.
"Really?" I rolled my eyes. "I guess he thinks kidnapping a human woman is due to him out of gratitude." This time I was positive Charick's expression was one of amusement.
To the left of the window, one of the guards moaned, rising to consciousness. Bartuk leaned over and punched him in the head.
“We need to get out of here.” Bartuk wiped the smear of blood from his knuckles against the back of the newly unconscious guard’s tunic—it was the guard’s blood, after all.
"At the back of the villa is a drainage ditch. We can follow it to get us closer to the hangar." Charick moved to the door, opening it an inch. He stilled, and I swear his ears pricked as he listened. Like the other Vaktaire, his ears were slightly elongated, coming to a gentle point at the top, which reminded me of fairy ears.
Khaion’s hand cupped my cheek, the gold of his irises molten and intense. “Stay by my side. If something happens, hide, and know I will find you.”
"I know." I leaned into him, loving how his muscular arms stole around me and the comforting thud of his matchingheartbeat. Charick, Bartuk, the unconscious bodies of four Aljani guards, and the looming threat of the Kerzak faded away. My every sense focused on Khaion. "I love you."
“My mate,” Khaion whispered, breath ragged and warm as he lowered his lips to mine. His hand cupped my chin, his thumb rubbing my skin softly. His lips were soft, and the taste of wine and chocolate flooded my tongue.
We came apart to Charick’s wide-eyed stare. “Mate?”
Khaion winked at me, but his words to his Sage carried sternness. "We will talk about this when we return to the Bardaga.”
"Most definitely." Charick's gaze was wide with curiosity, and something I might have thought was hope—if it had been anyone other than the Sage.
Stealth suits engaged, Charick took the lead, followed by Khaion and me, with Bartuk guarding our rear. The other moons were only a sliver of light in the sky, blocked by the thick canopy of leaves above. We kept close to the shadows. The invisibility of the stealth suits might keep Charick and Bartuk unseen, but Khaion and I remained completely visible.
A small stretch ran from the back of the villa leading to the drainage ditch, the terrain completely exposed. Bartuk made the first crossing. The only thing noticeable was a flash of his golden eyes as he glanced back to give us theall-clear. My boys were into running. Not me. The only time I ran was if something chased me—which, arguably, it was now. I'd stayed in shape with tennis and Pilates. If my sixty-something body still existed, I'd worry about keeping up. Not anymore. My ponderings became a moot point as Khaion suddenly scooped me up, crossing thedistance to the ditch in the time it took me to gasp, a faint splash echoing as our feet hit the bottom of the culvert.
The ditch was strangely familiar, not different from construction I'd seen on Earth—built with an alien version of concrete and shaped like a U, with a depth of at least six feet. I squirmed, readying to hit my feet despite the ankle-deep water, but Khaion held me close to his chest, giving a jerky shake of his head. A disembodied splash heralded Charick's arrival, and the Vaktaire took off at a run, much faster than even my twenty-something body could follow.
“What do you mean Lord Utar is dead?” a deep growly voice came into range.
All three Vaktaire crouched, their backs pressed against the damp embankment, while I remained snug in Khaion’s arms. The steel gray hangar loomed overhead like a sentinel. We were in a precarious position—within earshot but at risk of discovery should someone wander toward the edge of the tarmac.
Khaion lowered himself onto one knee, holding me securely on his muscular thigh. Tilting my head backward, although at an odd angle, offered a sight of the area at the front of the hangar. Ten Kerzak stood rigidly at attention behind their leader, who faced off with Nansar and his dozen guards.
"The Vaktaire killed him. There was nothing I could do about it." Nansar's voice was smooth, unfettered, even though the Kerzak could wipe him out with a swipe of his paw.
"I will scatter his guts throughout the stars," the Kerzak bellowed, waving a fist the size of my head.
I glanced at Khaion, who rolled his eyes dramatically at the threat.
“Just so you’re not in Aljani space,” Nansar snapped, the angry turn of his head making his hair ripple like moonlight on water. “I cannot be tied to this or the Kerzak.”
The leader—Barkkus perhaps—issued a low, threatening growl, but Nansar stood his ground, arms crossed, glaring at the Kerzak, who caved with a huff.
"Where is our payment and the body of Lord Utar? He will receive a hero's burial. We will drench his shroud in the blood of his killer."
This time I rolled my eyes at the blustering.
"I'll have my guards gather his body and your payment." Nansar waved his hand, half his guard splintered away, heading toward the villa. "If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend." The Aljani turned and walked away without a backward glance. The grizzly-aliens trundled into a loose huddle, their conversation reduced to roars and snarls.
"We need to get to the shuttle," Khaion whispered, his golden eyes flickering to where our shuttle sat unfettered in the center of the hangar—if we made it through the gathered Kerzak. "The onboard weapons are enough to destroy the Kerzak skiff and the villa if necessary." His palm glided across my back, just a simple caress reiterating that he was near, protecting, and loving me. My breath released in a low hum, almost a purr, as I melted into his touch.
"This ditch runs alongside the hangar." Charick's nod indicated the direction. "We can enter from a side door unseen."
