Page 7 of Warrior
“I will hurt none of the children. You have my vow as a Vaktaire warrior.”
“Do you promise?”
“Promise?” I growled, anger flashing through me. “Female, I have given the vow of a Vaktaire warrior. It is sacred.”
“Okay, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Daisy rolled her eyes as she knelt to address the chains at my ankles.
“Panties?" The word referenced a human garment, which didn't explain why she thought I wore them or how I could twist them.
“Never mind,” she giggled, moving to release the chains on my wrists.
Briefly, her fingertips trailed over my forearms, sending a jolt through my veins as if touched by lightning. I watchedintently as she flicked her small pink tongue over her lips and met my gaze. The aroma of flowers and sunshine filled the air as she knelt beside me, the clinking of chains accompanying her movements as she set me free.
“So…” her voice held a tinge of nervousness. “How do we get off this rock?”
I pushed myself upright, stretching my stiff muscles, joints giving audible pops. Daisy followed suit, her pale skin standing in stark contrast to my tanned flesh as she rose. The top of her head barely grazed me mid-chest. She was so tiny and fragile—a gust of wind could have swept her from the ground. I felt unease brewing like a storm when I looked at her. Every instinct told me that this female posed more of a threat than any enemy I'd ever faced, yet it wasn't the type of danger I knew. Her nearness rattled me, made my blood race, and heated my skin. My mind spun with thoughts I had no desire to entertain. With a firm shake of my head, I reminded myself why I came to this moon.
To rescue Daisy.
That was all.
“How did you get underground?”
“I’m not sure. When they took me off the ship, it was already underground.” Daisy said as she gathered the chains from the floor, plopping them in the middle of the small, rickety table. “There was a big dock with a lot of other ships.”
“A subterranean dock. No wonder the tracker malfunctioned,” I murmured. For the last leg of my journey, there was no sign of her presence, until I moved underground.
Daisy moved to the doorway, pushing on the rusted metal, and it closed with a groan. A wave of heat and claustrophobia hit me. The room was small, and it had been ages since I'd lingered underground.
She turned to me expectantly, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Can we get out through there? I saw a lot of guards.”
“No,” I said curtly, regretting my clipped tone when Daisy's eyes narrowed slightly. "My ship is on the surface. I brought an extra enviro-suit for you to travel safely in the moon's acidic atmosphere."
“What about the children?”
The question rattled my brain. “What about them?”
I could tell by how Daisy snatched the shovel from the ground that she did not appreciate my response. She glared at me; determination etched on every inch of her lovely pale skin.
“I’m not leaving without the children.”
Chapter 3
Daisy
Sweet fancy Moses, this guy is huge. Maybe I should have left him chained up? I didn’t have the sense he wanted to hurt me. He knew Emmy, which was a huge endorsement, but he looked so brawny and wild and… gorgeous.
He might be the most handsome man I’d ever seen.
Being this close, I realized his tan skin wasn’t skin at all, but a soft pelt cascading down his thickly muscled arms, with what looked like chevron tattoos beginning on his shoulder and cascading onto this chest. The shaggy hair framing his face held strands of pale blonde and light brown interspersed with tawny.
And those eyes!
A cobalt sclera that seemed to burn into mine framed his deep golden irises. He didn’t look happy. The only thing that would have made those eyes more beautiful would be if he wasn’t looking at me like I’d gone crazy.
“My mission.” He paused, licking his full lips. “Emmy and my Chieftain sent me to rescue you.” His deep, husky voice spoke slowly, like he feared I was too dumb to grasp the concept and wanted to impress upon me the importance of his mission.
“I get that.” I wasn’t trying to be difficult. “And you’ll never know how much I appreciate it, but it doesn’t change the fact that I won’t leave without the children.” He didn’t seem swayed, so I added, for good measure… “I know, Emmy. She wouldn’t want me to leave the children, either.”
